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Organizing Men to Stop Men’s Violence
Against Women: A Possible Five-Step Plan*
Consciousness-Raising: Organize an event – get
names and contact information of the men who attend
by passing around a sign-up sheet. Note: this event
doesn’t have to be specifically aimed at men.
For example, many men respond well to a survivor
speaker like Katie Koestner
(www.campusoutreachservices.com) or others.
Initial Action: Ask those men to do a specific
task. Many men say they haven’t spoken against
violence against women because they feel like they
haven’t been asked, and they’re not sure
what to do or what is their place. Men tend to like
feeling useful and liked to be asked for help, but
it’s easier if that help is specific. Instead
of “Please join our movement,” try
“Please sign this Men’s Pledge that
we’ll publish in the local newspaper”
(see the Men’s Resource Center in Amherst, MA
for good examples –
(www.mensresourcecenter.org). Or ask them publicly
sign the White Ribbon Campaign
(www.whiteribbon.com). Ask them hang up flyers from
Men Can Stop Rape’s Men of Strength Campaign
(www.mencanstoprape.org). Where appropriate, ask
them to participate in Take Back the Night marches
(any Internet search will give examples – some
marches are women-only and that should be
respected). Where appropriate, ask them to
participate in community service or fundraising
events (walk-a-thons) for a local domestic violence
program and/or rape crisis center. Or cooking food,
etc. for such an event. Ask them to wear a button
or putting a bumper sticker on their car (example
at www.strongmendontbully.com) in events for Sexual
Assault Awareness Month (April) and/or Domestic
Violence Awareness Month (October)
Internalization: After the initial action, ask
the men who agree to the specific task to commit to
a longer training on issues of violence prevention.
Many men won’t, but some will. The training
can be an ongoing advocate’s training, a class
for credit or simply several group meetings (ask
for a specific time commitment). A good model for
such a class is on the Family Violence Prevention
Fund’s website – www.endabuse.org.
Integration: After the training, identify one or
a few potential leaders in that group. Make a
relationship with them – mentor them. Invite
them to conferences where they can meet other
leaders in the movement and network with them.
Encourage them to not only take leadership
publicly, but be accountable privately to their own
sexism – warn them that in this movement, they
may very well be challenged on their sexism and it
will help if they are not defensive. Urge them to
be accountable to the women in this movement who
have done this work longer than they have. Have
them sign up for the Men Against Violence Yahoo
Group – www.yahoogroups.com and select
“menagainstviolence.” Have them form or
join a group such as the National Organization for
Men Against Sexism, Boston chapter.
Leadership: Encourage those men (or that man) to
organize an event! and then the cycle will
hopefully continue. This cycle can take place over
a semester if you’re in a college, over a
year, or whatever works best. A good
organizer’s manual is available at the White
Ribbon Campaign website – again,
www.whiteribbon.com. If they like, they can form a
group such as a chapter of the National
Organization for Men Against Sexism
(www.nomas.org), or a Men of Strength (MOST) group
(www.mencanstoprape.org).
* With thanks to Bailey Jackson and Rita
Hardiman’s model of social identity
development. Of course, all men are different, so
this may not work for some groups of men. If you
try this cycle and it doesn’t work, please let
me know – if you find that other techniques
work better, or more ideas for #2, please let me
know that, too. Ben Atherton-Zeman,
benazeman@hotmail.com, 978-263-3254. Good luck!
J
Ben Atherton-Zeman is a spokesperson for the
National Organization for Men Against Sexism. He is
the author of a one-man educational comedy,
“Voices of Men,” which educates campuses
and communities about men’s violence against
women through humor and celebrity male voice
impressions.
Source: By Ben Atherton-Zeman, NOMAS
Co-Chair, nomasboston.org/essays/200505fivestepplan.htm
©2007, NOMAS - Boston
Pro-Feminist
Ally Organizations
* * *
Jack Kahn is currently co-chair
(internal relations) of the Boston chapter of the
National Organization for Men Against Sexism
(NOMAS). He has published articles and presented
numerous workshops on topics of diversity and is
currently doing research exploring the identity
formation of men that embrace feminism.
www.nomasboston.org
or E-Mail
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