• Honoring Vanessa Guillen, Denisha Montgomery, and LaVena Johnson: On Military Sexual Violence
    Aug 28 2025
    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 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]FedWeek's article "Court Says Military Members Can Sue Others in Uniform"Liz Jassin's article about Denisha Montgomery "Family believes woman was murdered during deployment"Combat Sexual Assault 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"U.S. Department of Defense, "DOD, Services Moving Ahead on Recommendations to Combat Sexual Assault"Fort Hood Independent Review- TimelineStanford University Library- Say Their Names exhibit: LaVena JohnsonTeam Ebony of EBONY Magazine's article "The Sexual Trauma of Black Female Veterans"See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    25 mins
  • Stepping In to Change Rape Culture with Dr. Taylor Waits
    Aug 21 2025

    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

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    1 hr and 48 mins
  • Tending the Garden: Understanding the Life Work of Healing with Jimanekia Eborn, Part II
    Aug 14 2025

    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."

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    48 mins
  • Anita Hill Wasn’t Alone: Honoring Black Survivors, Then and Now with Jimanekia Eborn, Part I
    Aug 7 2025

    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.

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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • The History They Don’t Teach: Black Organizing Against Sexual Assault
    Jul 31 2025

    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

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    35 mins
  • Trying to Be a Whole Me: Ericka Knight on Expanding Your Healing Journey
    Jul 24 2025

    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)

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    1 hr and 1 min
  • It Was Like We Were Having an Out of Body Experience: Brenda & Leroy Tate on Parenting a Rape Survivor
    Jul 17 2025
    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 101See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    1 hr and 18 mins
  • You Can’t Pour From an Empty Cup: Trina Greene on Parenting for Liberation and the Ritual of Self-Care
    Jul 10 2025

    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

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    1 hr and 2 mins