In this week's bonus episode, we cover a brief introduction to military sexual violence and military sexual trauma, and highlight a few notable cases that have either set a precedent for progress in terms of the military's response to individual cases or reinforced the instinct of silence for others. In doing so, we honor the stories of Vanessa Guillen and he family's fight for justice, as well as Denisha Montgomery and LaVena Johnson, whose families are still seeking answers today. 
Resources and Mentions 

1. President Biden's Executive Order, 2022 Amendments to the Manual for Courts-Martial [link found using the Wayback Machine, as the original link has been deactivated on WhiteHouse.Gov; original link last accessible January 20, 2025 at 16:35:32]
2. FedWeek's article "Court Says Military Members Can Sue Others in Uniform"
3. Liz Jassin's article about Denisha Montgomery "Family believes woman was murdered during deployment"
4. Combat Sexual Assault 
5. Marielle Pdilla on the Feres Doctrine "The 19th Explains: How a recent court opinion could clear the way for military sexual assault survivors to find justice"
6. U.S. Department of Defense, "DOD, Services Moving Ahead on Recommendations to Combat Sexual Assault"
7. Fort Hood Independent Review- Timeline
8. Stanford University Library- Say Their Names exhibit: LaVena Johnson
9. Team Ebony of EBONY Magazine's article "The Sexual Trauma of Black Female Veterans"

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Join us on a journey in this episode as we get ready to head back-to-school all across the United States, as Dr. Leatra Tate pays tribute to the groundbreaking work of The Combahee River Collective. The episode also features a compelling conversation with Dr. Taylor Waits, co-founder of #ChangeRapeCulture, who shares her journey in advocating for survivors of sexual violence-- particularly those who are queer, Black, and marginalized-- and describes her organization's impactful work. Tune in to hear their efforts to continue the legacy of activism inspired by the Combahee River Collective.

Resources and Mentions

The Combahee River Collective Statement

Maddie Khaw's Boston Globe article "We Were Building Tables: Demita Frazier Reflects on Influential Black Feminist Collective"

The Combahee River Collective's pamphlet titled, "Eleven Black Women Why Did They Die?"

Dr. Mariana Brandman's Massachusetts Women's History Center article "The Combahee River Collective: Pioneers of Intersectional Feminism" 

Dr. Taylor Waits and Kimiya Factory- #ChangeRapeCulture website

#ChangeRapeCulture- Instagram archive

Jon Marcus' NPR article "While Women Outnumber Men on Campus, Their Later Earnings Remain Stuck"

Women's Sports Foundation's article "Title IX and the Rise of Female Athletes in America"

American Association of University Women's (AAUW) article "AAUW Condemns Executive Order to Dismantle the U.S. Department of Education"

The NAACP's Legal Defense Fund article "The Trump Administration's Attack on the Department of Education, Explained: What Students and Parents Need to Know"

The Clery Center's explanation of the Violence Against Women Act

Advocates for Youth's Know Your IX program- including a Title IX advocacy toolkit

U.S. Department of Education- Office for Civil Rights, File a Complaint (general information page)

RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline – Call 800-656-HOPE (4673)

Ujima, The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community

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In this special bonus episode of The Unwanted Sorority, Dr. Leatra Tate traces the powerful intersection of reproductive justice and the fight to end sexual violence—both rooted in the voices, bodies, and truths of Black women.

From the haunting legacy of the Mothers of Gynecology, to the groundbreaking bravery of the first survivors to testify before Congress, to the present-day grief surrounding Adriana Smith’s pregnancy, this episode holds space for the pain, the power, and the ongoing struggle for autonomy, dignity, and justice.

It is a tribute to those who spoke when it was dangerous to speak—and a call to continue telling the truth, even now.

Resources & Mentions

• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) – 24/7 support at 800-656-HOPE
• National Sexual Violence Resource Center
• Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery by bell hooks
• Know My Name by Chanel Miller
• AJC Article on the 1959 Betty Jean Owens Case

Let’s Stay Connected

Share your reflections, tag us, and spread the word on all platforms: @theunwantedsorority

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Aaaaand we're back with part two of our two-episode tribute to Professor Anita Hill. In this episode we dive more into her continued legacy and the significance of Kimberlé Crenshaw in the intersectional fight against sexual violence

Leatra also shares Jimanekia Eborn's Grad Chapter Corner, catching up on how she's been over the past two years since they recorded her interview.

Resources & Mentions

Meet Anita Hill

Aamna Mohdin’s article from The Guardian- Kimberlé Crenshaw: The Woman Who Revolutionised Feminism – and Landed at the Heart of the Culture Wars

DeNeen L. Brown’s article from The Washington Post- The Scathing Ad 1,600 Black Women Bought to Oppose Clarence Thomas

Twitter post from author Tayari Jones, a Black woman who donated to the ad

The Shirley Chisholm Project’s article celebrating Anita Hill’s documentary release

Anita Hill's books, Speaking Truth to Power (1998), Reimagining Equality: Stories of Gender, Race, and Finding Home (2012), and Believing: Our Thirty-Year Journey to End Gender Violence (2022)

Jimanekia Eborn's nonprofit, Tending the Garden. Looking to join the survivor space? Check it out here

Catch Jimanekia hosting the following upcoming events: 1. CINTIMA's first annual Flicker Festival, a first-of-its-kind curated international festival celebrating intimate storytelling in film, learn more here and 2. Link to Tending the Garden's programming, created to help you "explore a safe, supportive space offering tools, workshops, and connections to help you thrive." 

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On this week's episode of The Unwanted Sorority, host Dr. Leatra Tate, kicks off a two-part tribute to Professor Anita Hill, unpacking her life before the infamous hearings and situating her story within the broader movement to end sexual violence against Black women.

Leatra is also joined by Jimanekia Eborn, known to many as The Trauma Queen—a nationally recognized Sexual Assault & Trauma Expert, Trauma Media Consultant, and Comprehensive Sex Educator. Together, they dig deep into the emotional labor of "the work" (whatever that actually means), why grief work is part of survivor work, and the responsibility of showing up for yourself and taking care of yourself.

Tune in for part one of this essential series— and come back next week as we return to Anita Hill's story and catch up with Jimanekia, two years after her original appearance on the show. 

Resources & Mentions

Scott Neuman and Lexie Schapitl’s NPR article- Congress rolls back $9 billion in public media funding and foreign aid

Cory Turner on NPR’s article- How Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Will Be Remembered

Meet Anita Hill

Jimanekia Eborn's nonprofit, Tending the Garden. Looking to join the survivor space? Check it out here

Catch Jimanekia hosting the following upcoming events: 1. "Tell Me What You Like" book talk with author Katie Simon at Pleasure Chest Los Angeles (August 8th), 2. "Grief as a Survivor" virtual class with SheBop (August 12th), 3. CINTIMA's first annual Flicker Festival, a first-of-its-kind curated international festival celebrating intimate storytelling in film, learn more here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This bonus episode of The Unwanted Sorority traces the rich but often overlooked history of Black American resistance to sexual violence, beyond the headlines and hashtags. Host, Dr. Leatra Tate guides listeners through more than a century of organizing, from post-Emancipation community protection practices and the anti-lynching work of the early 1900s to the radical abolitionist frameworks of the 2000s.

We explore how Black survivors and organizers redefined safety in the face of state neglect and criminalization, building power through mutual aid, political education, and healing justice. We’ll also touch on the rise of digital movements like #MeToo and #MuteRKelly to reinforce why today’s advocacy demands more than carceral solutions.

Featuring a brief historical analysis and cultural commentary, this episode is a reminder that we’ve been building this road to liberation for generations. Let’s take this introduction as an invitation to keep moving forward.

Resources & Mentions

The Sojourner Truth We Know is a Lie

Fannie Lou Hamer- "Nobody's Free Until Everybody's Free"

Tulane University’s All In Program- Timeline of the History of Sexual Violence in the U.S.

"1866 to 2020: Black Women Have Always Led the Sexual Assault Awareness Movement"

Article on the Free Joan Little Campaign

Article & Artifact- African American Women in Defense of Ourselves

Profiles- Nkenge Touré and Loretta Ross

Kenyette Tisha Barnes and Oronike Odeleye, #MuteRKelly movement co-founders

me too. Healing Resource Library

RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline – Call 800-656-HOPE (4673)

Ujima, The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community

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Resources & Mentions

Tarana Burke’s bio

Tarana Burke interviews with The Current and The Grio

“Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement” by Tarana Burke

“Black Activist Mothering: Teach Me About What Teaches You” by Jacqueline Roebuck Sakho

"Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment" by Patricia Hill Collins

"Community Mothering: The Relationship Between Mothering and the Community Work of Black Women" by Arlene E. Edwards

Understanding the Cycle of Abuse

Amani Community Services- Black Power & Control Wheel and Black Equality & Respect Wheel)

me too. Healing Resource Library

RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline – Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) 

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In this powerful and deeply personal episode of The Unwanted Sorority, host Dr. Leatra Tate sits down with the two people who raised her, Brenda and Leroy Tate, for a multigenerational conversation on healing, community, and the legacy of silence around sexual violence in Black families. Leroy Tate, a retired Air Force veteran, reflects on his upbringing in a tight-knit Black community, his thoughts on masculinity, fatherhood, and his raw response to learning about his daughter’s assault. Brenda Tate, a retired administrative assistant and mother of three, opens up about growing up in the 1960s, how community centers shaped her childhood, and the heartbreak and self-blame she experienced upon hearing her daughter’s disclosure. Together, they talk candidly about: the generational shift in how Black communities discuss sexual violence, how the fear of judgment and distrust in policing impacted responses to assault in the 1960s, Parenting through trauma without a guidebook, and the urgent need for more Black mentors in youth-centered programs like Big Brothers Big SistersThis episode is a moving example of what it looks like to confront the past, lean into vulnerability, and choose healing together—even when it's hard. It honors Black family, community resilience, and the sacred act of telling the truth.

Resources & Mentions

bell hooks books referenced: Ain’t I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism (1981), Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood (1996), All About Love: New Visions (2000), Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics (2000), Salvation: Black People and Love (2001), and The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love (2004).

Big Brothers Big Sisters- Mentoring Programs

CapRadio episode titled “Sexual assault survivors want less police, more trauma-informed professionals, especially for Black victims”

INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence- History & Community Accountability Toolkit 

Incite Collaboration- Community Accountability 

Transformative Justice EU- TJ 101

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In this episode of The Unwanted Sorority, we’re giving flowers to the one and only Patricia Hill Collins. Leatra also talks with Trina Greene of Parenting for Liberation about the necessity of self-care for parents and children. Whether you’re a survivor or someone walking alongside us in this journey, taking care of yourself is not optional. It’s sacred.

We also get real about trauma triggers—what they are, how they show up, and how to regulate after they hit. This episode also touches on a topic too often left out of healing conversations: childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and parenting. I lift up the powerful work of Ebony Williams and her organization Cactus in Bloom, which centers Black and LGBTQIA+ CSA navigating pregnancy, birth, and parenting.

If you're healing, holding space, parenting through pain, or just trying to figure out how to make room for yourself in your own life—this one’s for you.

Resources & Mentions

Patricia Hill Collins’ 2009 ASA Presidential Statement

TIME Magazine article about Patricia Hill Collins

Kimberlé Crenshaw on Intersectionality

Patricia Hill Collins: Black Sexual Politics

Leatra’s Dissertation (reference to the "socialization of trauma" concept)

Parenting for Liberation (Website, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Book- “Parenting for Liberation: A Guide for Raising Black Children”)

Parenting for Liberation Podcast (episode 81 with Ebony Williams of "Cactus in Bloom")

What is a trigger?- me too. International

Self-care for supporting survivors- me too. International

Self-care for supporting survivors- RAINN 

25 Things Parents Should Know about Child Sexual Abuse

Cactus in Bloom

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This episode of The Unwanted Sorority unpacks the legacy of Betty Jean Owens and the first campus demonstration against sexual violence—an act of defiance too often erased from history. Dr. Leatra Tate shares her own story and how a class project, a dissertation, and the voices of Black women survivors helped shape this podcast. We explore the chilling realities of The Red Zone on college campuses and the healing wisdom of bell hooks’ Sisters of the Yam.
This is where truth-telling meets collective care.

Resources & Mentions
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) – 24/7 support at 800-656-HOPE
National Sexual Violence Resource Center
Ujima- The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community
Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery by bell hooks
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
AJC Article on the 1959 Betty Jean Owens Case
More information about The Red Zone

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In this short episode, I’m sending a love letter to you—yes, you—especially if the headlines this week feel like too much to hold. Whether you’ve been reeling from the verdict in the Diddy case or any other moment that reminds us how often survivors like Cassie Ventura are denied justice, I want you to know you are not alone.

This is your reminder: no news story can define your worth. Save this episode for when you need to be reminded you are worthy, you are whole, and you are never alone.
Take a few minutes to breathe with me and hear about a few resources you can lean on when your burden feels too heavy to carry alone.

Resources & Mentions:
me too. Survivor Sanctuary
me too. Healing Resource Library
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline – Call 800-656-HOPE (4673)
Therapy for Black Girls
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network

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