Ariana Faye
Allensworth

Cultural worker mobilizing people, memory, and design toward collective liberation.

Ariana Faye
Allensworth

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PROJECTS

We, As Ourselves



ROLE

Project LeadYEAR

2020 - 2021





A cultural strategy to disrupt the myths that silence Black survivors 



The dominant narratives around sexual violence often neglect or distort the experiences of Black survivors. This systemic bias contributes to a culture where their stories are not believed or adequately supported, perpetuating a cycle of silence and harm.

We, As Ourselves emerged as a transformative campaign launched by the TIME’S UP Foundation, me too. International, and the National Women’s Law Center to dismantle these harmful narratives and replace them with stories that reflect the fullness and complexity of Black survivors’ experiences.


AT THE HEART OF THE INITIATIVE WAS THIS LOVE LETTER TO BLACK SURVIVORS—A COLLECTIVE CULTURAL INTERVENTION WRITTEN BY TARANA BURKE AND VOICED BY ACTIVISTS, ARTISTS, SURVIVORS, AND POLITICAL LEADERS. THE FILM CALLED FOR THE CREATION OF CULTURAL CONDITIONS IN WHICH BLACK SURVIVORS ARE BELIEVED, PROTECTED, AND SUPPORTED.

As part of a long-term culture change strategy, We, As Ourselves joined forces with the Center for Cultural Power—an artist-led organization rooted in narrative power-building—to collaborate with Black women and femme survivors and artists in reshaping dominant myths about sexual violence.

THROUGH A SERIES OF NARRATIVE STRATEGY WORKSHOPS, WE DEVELOPED A NARRATIVE FRAMEWORK CENTERED ON FIVE CORE SHIFTS:
By Us, For Us
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Survivors speak on their own terms



Ancestral Connections
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Healing is located within lineage and collective memory.



Beyond the Binary
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Centering Black trans women, nonbinary people, femmes, and girls as integral to the community of Black survivors.



Expansive Justice
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Moving beyond carceral logics toward healing-based accountability
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Black Joy
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Refusing the overrepresentation of trauma as the only Black story
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This framework informed the commissioning of original artworks across diverse mediums. Rooted in these insights, the works were shared widely online to broaden reach, deepen engagement, and contribute to a larger cultural shift in support of Black survivors.




RELEVENT LINKS


MEET THE ARTISTS & STORYTELLERS RESHAPING THE NARRATIVE



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