Booklist Reviews NO! A Documentary On Sexual Assault
March 11, 2008
“This DVD helps raise awareness about sexual assault and violence. Especially useful for counselors working with high school and college students facing similar pressures and situations.”
Booklist
David Naguib Pellow’s Testimonial On NO! A Documentary On Sexual Assault
March 10, 2008
“NO! is a force to be reckoned with. This film’s message is painful yet soothing, terrifying yet somehow comforting. NO! speaks truths that are unsettling but ultimately crucial for all of us to hear and know if we are to continue sharing this fragile world of ours. I will make sure that my son studies and absorbs the wisdom and hopeful vision within this wonderful work of art. Simmons has offered us a gift of immeasurable value.”
David Naguib Pellow, Professor of Ethnic Studies,
University of California, San Diego
Clarence Lusane’s Testimonial On NO! A Documentary On Sexual Assault
March 10, 2008
“No man who watches this film – men with sisters, daughters, mothers, lovers – can leave not feeling a greater sense of responsibility to confront this issue.”
Clarence Lusane, Professor of Modern Political Movement,
School of International Service, American University
Amnesty International, French Section’s Testimonial On NO! A Documentary On Sexual Assault
March 10, 2008
“[Aishah Shahidah Simmons'] political and artistic approach which questions at the same time the oppression of race, sex, gender, and class seems relevant to make visible, at all levels and mainly in the African American community, the violence against [Black] women, lesbians, and girls.”
Amnesty International, French Section
Thema Bryant-Davis’ Testimonial On NO! A Documentary On Sexual Assault
March 10, 2008
“I recommend this film to any community agency or institute of higher learning that understands the importance of social justice, compassion, and education.”
Thema Bryant-Davis, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist and Author,
Thriving in the Wake of Trauma: A Multicultural Guide
Oliver J. Williams’ Testimonial On NO! A Documentary On Sexual Assault
March 10, 2008
“I’m moved by the healing messages NO! provides African American women who have been affected; the information it provides African American men about the impact of such experiences for our sisters, mothers, partners and friends; and the consciousness raising it offers the entire African American community around this issue.”
Oliver J. Williams, Ph.D., Founding Director,
Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community
National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s Testimonial On NO! A Documentary On Sexual Assault
March 10, 2008
“In the spring of 2006 the National Sexual Violence Resource Center selected Aishah Shahidah Simmons, documentary producer, as the 2006 National Sexual Assault Awareness Month award-winner in the category of media & communications. Shortly thereafter I had the privilege of seeing her and her documentary NO! in Philadelphia. As part of that viewing, the audience participated in an enthusiastic community discussion about the impact of rape and ways we can all work together to prevent it. This well-done documentary had a powerful impact on all who were present, and the post-viewing community discussion was so inspiring that the NSVRC designated showings of NO! in community settings as the Featured Event for its 2007 national Sexual Assault Awareness Month campaign.”
Karen Baker, LMSW, Director, National Sexual Violence Resource Center
*** The National Sexual Violence Center is the comprehensive collection and distribution center for information, research and emerging policy on sexual violence intervention and prevention in the United States.
KJ Mohr’s Testimonial On NO! A Documentary On Sexual Assault
March 10, 2008
“I have seen a lot of documentaries about sexual violence in my 15 years as a film programmer, and NO! is by far the most well made, riveting, and poignant. The screening of NO! at the National Museum of Women in the Arts was an extraordinarily powerful event, and it was remarkably successful in generating meaningful dialogue around and after the screening. It was an honor to host NO!, and it was of singular importance for NMWA, our national museum as women, and a major arts institution in a predominantly African American city. In the discussion following the screening, Aishah Simmons’ warmth, openness, and above all, her extraordinary dedication and hard work in making the documentary, came across, resoundingly. The strength of NO! in reaching its viewers is significant, it’s scope and ability to compel are astounding- all women can relate to this film. NO! is of particular and urgent importance, not only for women of African decent, but for everyone, in order to better understand the overwhelming and crushing legacy of sexual violence and racism inherent in the history of the United States and the effect that has on our society.”
KJ Mohr, Film & Media Arts Programmer, National Museum of Women in the Arts
Ms. Magazine Reviews NO! A Documentary On Sexual Assault
March 10, 2008
“Simmons exposes the crisis of sexual violence within African American communities and investigates the cultural forces that pushed [B]lack woman and girls into decades of collective silence. Through interviews with rape survivors, academics and human-rights activists, the film explores intraracial rape in a historical context, tracing the roots of sexual assaults against [B]lackwomen to post-Civil War America, when lynching was a tool of racism to justify the murder of [B]lack men accused of raping [W]hite women. To protect their African American brothers, [B]lack women repressed their own rapes, perceiving their silence as a necessary sacrifice in the larger struggle against racism. Finally breaking the silence, the film shares stories of torment and healing while challenging African-American men and women to seek reconciliation.
Amy Williams, Ms. Magazine, 35th Anniversary Issue
Yvonne Bynoe’s Testimonial On NO! A Documentary On Sexual Assault
March 10, 2008
“NO! is a personal, yet powerful documentary which demands that audiences examine not only the violence associated with rape, but also our societal beliefs that empower assailants through silence or banal “boys will be boys” justifications.”
Yvonne Bynoe, Author, Stand and Deliver: Political Activism, Leadership and
Hip Hop Culture and The Encyclopedia of Rap and Hip Hop Culture
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