Community and Organization Accountability Process Update (3/1/16)
This is a statement by the accountability teams that have
been working since early December 2015 to address an incident of sexual harm by
BYP100 member Malcolm London that occurred three years ago.
We are publicly releasing this statement with the consent of all parties involved. While previous formal and informal updates have been shared with the immediate community impacted by this incident, we have not until now shared information about our process more broadly.
Quite frankly, it is because of the generosity of Kyra that we do so today. We consider this to be a gift to the broader community which is not familiar or accustomed to formal processes of community accountability and transformative justice. We are grateful to Kyra for her courage and willingness to allow this window in the hope that it might serve to inspire more such efforts in your communities when harm is done.
Below is a statement by Kyra about the process so far:
“I’m very surprised and thankful for the way in which BYP100 has responded to this situation. When I initially shared my story, I had no idea what to expect from the organization, Malcolm, or the public. But this process has truly centered my needs as a survivor and has taught me what transformative justice and community accountability truly looks like. I’m looking forward to working with BYP to develop their enthusiastic consent curriculum and to seeing what else I can do for the community as a part of this process. I realize there are far too many stories like mine within social justice organizations and within the black community in general, but I hope that by sharing my experience we can work towards more effective and transformative ways of addressing sexual violence within our spaces.”
Accountability process and procedure
On November 28, BYP100 put out a statement to its membership that addressed an incident brought forth by a woman who had experienced past sexual harm by a leader within the organization, Malcolm London (ML). This statement was written three days after the survivor brought her concerns directly to BYP100 leadership, and agreed to a restorative/transformative justice accountability process. It was shared and vetted by people who are experienced in leading community accountability processes around sexual violence to make sure that the language was appropriate.
Immediately following the statement to membership and to the broader community, BYP100 leadership handed over the primary implementation of an accountability process to experienced transformative/restorative justice (TJ) practitioners who have facilitated accountability processes regarding sexual violence.
The following update includes information about:
1) Formation of the Support Team for the Survivor
2) Formation of the Accountability Team
3) Relationship between the Survivor Support Team and Accountability Team
4) Survivor Team Goals and the Next Steps for the Accountability Process
1. Formation of the Support Team for the Survivor:
Kyra met with members of BYP100 leadership Charlene Carruthers and Rose Afriyie who asked if she would like to engage in a community accountability process. She said yes. BYP100 leadership reached out to an experienced local CA/TJ facilitator, Mariame Kaba, who independently reached out to Kyra. Kyra had heard of Mariame’s work through her networks. After a discussion with Mariame, Kyra decided that she wanted her to lead her process. Mariame suggested that she could select a co-facilitator with whom she would be comfortable to also support the process. Kyra selected Mayadet Cruz. So Mariame and Mayadet are advocates and supporters for the survivor in this process.
a. Both Mariame and Mayadet are trained in restorative justice and have experience in community accountability processes. They are not BYP100 members.
b. The Survivor Support team is the lead committee to determine the implementation and evaluation of the consequences, reparation and transformative justice process. They meet with and talk regularly with Kyra. Another person who is a friend of the survivor is also included in the meetings and in the process.
2. Accountability team formation
a. This team is tasked with working with ML (the person who caused harm) to ensure he will follow through on the accountability process as outlined by the Survivor Support team.
b. Xavier MaatRa is the lead on the Accountability team. BYP member Jasson P is serving as a support person on the team. Xavier is an experienced RJ/TJ practitioner and Jasson is not but he is committed to a process that follows the lead and centers the needs of the Survivor and Survivor support team. Both X and J were selected by the Survivor Support team.
3. Relationship between the Survivor Support team and Accountability team
a. Survivor Support team
i. Focused on the survivor’s needs and desires throughout the TJ process
ii. Support the survivor’s healing process as an individual and within the TJ process
iii. Define the scope and outline steps that the person who caused harm needs to undertake to repair harm and demonstrate accountability.
iv. Initiate, monitor and evaluate accountability according to the survivor’s guidelines.
v. Define scope and to do steps for organizational accountability
b. Accountability Team
i. Commit to a survivor centered process at all times through written and signed agreement by person who caused harm
ii. Work directly with person who caused harm to achieve accountability and transformation as dictated by survivor team.
iii. Implement steps for organizational accountability
iv. Report to survivor team on implementation of steps laid out by the survivor team.
4. Survivor Team Goals and steps for Accountability Team to implement
• Public acknowledgement by Malcolm of the harm caused. (see below)
Statement by ML shared with BYP membership and posted on Facebook (2/7/16)
“When someone says I’ve harmed them, I do not believe I get to tell them how they’ve been harmed. I want to publically apologize to Kyra for the harm I caused her. I am committed to and am engaged in a survivor led transformative justice process. I have done wrong and I am committed to being held accountable for the harm I have done that centers the needs of the person I have done harm to. Through a survivor led transformative justice process, I am committed to being held accountable in a way that reflects the values of the broader movement community I am part of. As a hetero cis man I’ve been taught to dismiss or ignore harm. I do not want to reinforce these traditions. What I want to do is acknowledge the harm done into learning what atonement looks like & how accountability can manifest into a process committed to survivor led restoration.”
• Person who caused harm to undergo a political education process about sexual violence and enthusiastic consent that is tailored and designed for their level of knowledge. (ongoing)
• Confidence building measures that might lead to a meeting between the two parties. (ongoing)
• BYP100 implementing in its orientation and political education/organizing process a curriculum around enthusiastic consent informed by the survivor. The survivor, Kyra, has 5 years of experience in sexual violence prevention education and is working with BYP100 to develop a curriculum for incoming members about enthusiastic consent and the history of sexual violence in the black community. (in process)
• Creation of platforms within the broader movement for conversations about sexual violence in activist/movement spaces and how other organizations might address the issue. [long-term]
We continue to work towards the goals set by Kyra in this process. Every community accountability process is different because every survivor and community has specific needs, interests and goals. Each process is more art than science. We hope that sharing some of our process provides information that can help others who are struggling to address various harms in your communities.
Peace and solidarity
