#ME TOO: Recognizing and taking action
against sexual violence
You’re Invited
Dear victim/survivor, community partners, and supporters:
Thousands of people have shared their experiences with sexual harassment and abuse using #MeToo, bringing this issue to the
forefront of popular awareness. Conceived in 2006 by Black anti-violence activist Tarana Burke and recently popularized through a
still-growing wave of social media posts and news coverage, this movement demonstrates that no workplace or gathering space is
immune to predatory behavior, harassment, and sexual abuse. Survivors sharing their stories online using #MeToo, as well as
recent news from our own state capitol, show the stark pervasiveness of this problem.
We commend Senator Sara Gelser’s courageous disclosure, and we believe and support all survivors of harassment and
abuse. People who are transgender, women, queer, people of color, and/or people with disabilities are especially targeted for these
forms of violence, and those who hold multiple marginalized identities experience disproportionately high rates of abuse. Yet people
of any identity can experience sexual harassment and/or abuse. There is absolutely no justification for harassing or abusive
behaviors, yet sexual harassment and abuse persist with little recognition or support. All people deserve to be safe in their homes,
workplaces, and community spaces.
The CARE Program would
We support survivors who come forward to share their stories, and we recognize this may not be possible or safe for everyone.
Regardless, we acknowledge each person’s lived experiences, and we call on all people to promote positive behaviors and cultural
like to create a safe space
norms that oppose harassment and abuse.
for those who would like to
participate in a discussion
A few ways we can each take action in our communities
around Sexual Assault and
1.
If you have experienced sexual harassment or abuse, please remember that you are not alone and support is available.
2.
Speak up when you see or hear sexual harassment or sexually violent language or behavior among your family, friends,
3.
Believe and support people who tell you they have experienced harassment or abuse.
4.
Donate to (or volunteer with) groups and organizations working to end sexual violence.
the # Me Too movement.
Please join us for lunch and a
coworkers, and others in your community.
guest speaker.
Date: January 17th
Time: 11:30-1:00
We deserve homes, workplaces, and communities free from sexual harassment and abuse. This is not a lofty goal; it is a
Place: Clinic Shell Room
worthwhile and achievable one.
Let’s take action every day to transform our communities, creating safety and justice for all.
This Information given by OCADSV
*If you or someone you know is looking for help or support, we are here for
you and want to help!
Contact: Siletz Tribal CARE
541-444-9615 or 541-270-5581
Traditional foods are not herbicide targets
By Nancy Ludwig, MS, RDN, LD,
Siletz Tribal Head Start Nutrition
As part of my role as consultant nutri-
tionist to Siletz Tribal Head Start, I offer
information for families. Foods such as
soy, corn, wheat, oats, lentils, peas, flax,
rye, triticale, buckwheat, millet, canola,
sugar beets and potatoes are often grown
commercially with herbicide use. Over
the past decade, Roundup has become
the most widely used and heavily applied
herbicide in history.
The active ingredient, glyphosate,
is associated with cancer and problems
in birth outcomes. Many individuals
now report difficulty from eating soy,
wheat, corn and many other grains. Most
traditional Native foods do not include
grains and legumes. Avoiding grains and
embracing traditional foods appears to
be protective in the modern world on
many levels. Changes in the use and
application of herbicides may be one of
the factors contributing to some of today’s
health problems.
Glyphosate is present throughout the
food system and our environment. A recent
study identified glyphosate in 93 percent
of individuals tested and in 60 percent of
surface water in the Midwest. The her-
bicide has been found to persist in water
and soil up to a year in some conditions.
Genetically engineered (GE) crops,
such as soy and corn, are the largest driver
of glyphosate sales. Although GE crops
were promised to decrease pesticide use
and provide a multitude of other benefits,
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Siletz News
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the vast majority of GE crops grown in
the U.S. are engineered to tolerate direct
applications of glyphosate or to produce
Bt insecticide.
As use of GE crops has increased,
use of the herbicide has skyrocketed. The
use of herbicides, including Roundup, has
been permitted on non-GE crops, such as
wheat and the others mentioned above.
Herbicide application practices have
changed significantly, creating differences
in quantity, frequency and duration. Due
to use of Roundup-ready seeds, the weeds
have become resistant and require addi-
tional application (increasing exposure).
The window of time for application has
lengthened by allowing use on plants
after germination (increasing duration
of environmental exposure to vulnerable
pregnant women and children).
There are some claims that glyphosate
is not dangerous to people directly. Even
if it doesn’t hurt us, however, it affects
our bacteria, which ultimately impacts
us negatively because we need healthy
bacteria in our gut (gastrointestinal tract).
As use of glyphosate has skyrocketed
and weeds have developed resistance, the
highly consolidated seed and pesticide
industry has begun the introduction of
new GE crops that are engineered for use
with glyphosate as well as 2,4-D and
dicamba. These herbicides are known to
be more toxic and volatile than glyphosate.
Monsanto, the firm that sells half of
the world’s glyphosate, is strategically
focused on continuing to sell GE crops that
are to be used with herbicides. Now the
company is merging with Bayer, another
January 2018
major seed and pesticide company, which
will further decrease competitiveness in
the industry and provide greater synergy
with the companies’ pesticide sales.
Pre-harvest use of glyphosate signifi-
cantly increases residues of glyphosate in
food. This growing practice increases
public health risks, provides farmers with
marginal benefit and has been banned by
Germany and Austria.
Estimates state that 28 percent of U.S.
wheat was treated with glyphosate in 2015
and much of this use may be pre-harvest.
As You Sow is working with leading food
companies to investigate this practice. For
instance, Kellogg Company has agreed to
investigate pre-harvest glyphosate use in
its supply chain.
Prenatal and early-life exposures to
herbicides have been linked to a range
of adverse reproductive outcomes, devel-
opmental abnormalities and chronic
diseases. Women and children in areas
where a high percentage of the landscape
is sprayed with herbicides annually are at
heightened risk.
Research over 30 years shows that expo-
sures during the first trimester of pregnancy
are the most likely to trigger reproductive
problems and developmental deficits (e.g.,
lower IQ or birth weight, impaired immune
response, metabolic disorders).
In addition, herbicide exposures can
trigger epigenetic changes in the develop-
ing child that can increase the odds that
later in life, a person will struggle with
being overweight and/or with diabetes,
heart disease, cancer or neurological
and immune system problems. Emerging
science suggests that some epigenetic
impacts can become part of the human
genetic code and thereafter be passed on
to future generations.
For more information on this topic,
check out Food Sleuth Radio with host and
Registered Dietitian Melinda Hemmel-
gran. She interviews Charles Benbrook,
Ph.D., agricultural economist, visiting
scholar at the Bloomberg School of
Public Health, Johns Hopkins University,
and member of the Children’s Environ-
mental Health Network (CEHN) Science
Team at beta.prx.org/stories/222135
(or google Food Sleuth Radio Charles
Benbrook), where he describes the risks
associated with increasing herbicide use.
With CEHN, Benbrook and colleagues
research the impact of pesticide use on
birth outcomes.
Also see cehn-healthykids.org/ and
the article on the As You Sow website,
Roundup Revealed: Glyphosate in Our
Food System at asyousow.org/ays_report/
roundup-revealed/.
What can we do? What would be a
reasonable call to action? First of all, on a
personal level, don’t use herbicides. At the
level of food purchase, look for organic or
Non-GMO/GE (genetically engineered).
On the fundamental idealistic approach,
embrace traditional foods, which do not
include most grains and legumes, thereby
supporting health at the deepest level.
As the Head Start consultant nutri-
tionist, I am available to support families
by discussing nutrition-related concerns
via telephone. There is no charge for Head
Start families.