As a follow-up to the Revolutionary Lovers Guide and our Letter to Male Activists, Sisters of Resistance is posting the open letter of Seattle-based community organiser Robin Suhyung Park detailing her experience with intimate partner violence and the lack of response from the Seattle activist community. We share it here as yet another reminder that the revolution begins at home, with ourselves, and how we treat each other.
“When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.” -Audre Lorde
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Robin Suhyung Park. I am a 21 year old student, poet and organizer based in Seattle, Washington. I have been a member of Sahngnoksoo, a Korean American organization, since 2009. In the honor of vday, the Global Movement to End Violence Against Women and Girls, I write to you for 3 reasons:
1. To break my silence; to make my experience known and real.
2. To examine the heteropatriarchal values which undermine the strength of our communities.
3. To formally ask what you have done in your community to hold perpetrators of violence accountable, and what you have done in your community to prevent intimate partner violence.
