Rape and Genocide in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

A Globe With Their Eyes "Wide Shut"

Women screamed all around me. Some clutched their babies while others held onto each other. With weapons in hand, men entered the open structure and randomly grabbed women, brutally raping them as the rest of us watched frozen in fear. In the chaos, I had not noticed the man suddenly standing in front of me. The machete he held was far less intimidating than the scowl on his face. He yelled at me in a dialect I was not familiar with and even though I could not understand what he was saying, I knew what was about to happen. Read more »

Race, Rape and Restitution

The Chicago Suntimes recently reported on a young woman who, after claiming to have been abducted and raped, recanted her story. The 17 year old young woman went so far as to describe her attacker and join in the search to locate her “attacker”. That she described him as having Arab features only added to the anti-Arab sentiments of the Palos Heights, IL community. The city has decided not to press charges although this young woman is, at the very least, guilty of filing a false report. So let’s recap. A young white woman fakes her abduction, lies about being raped, accuses an Arab man of committing the crime, forces the city to spend well over $200,000 investigating her false report and subsequently walks away without so much as a slap on the wrist. 

I can’t help but think of another young woman in a similar situation some years ago– Tawana Brawley. The difference between the young woman from Palos Heights and Ms. Brawley is substantial in at least two regards. Tawana Brawley, after 20 years, has stuck by her story and, unlike the young white girl from Palos Heights, Tawana Brawley has paid dearly for what some have perceived to be a “hoax”.  Read more »

Private First Class LaVena Johnson

A young woman is found with a “broken nose, black eye and loose teeth, acid burns on her genitals, presumably to eliminate DNA evidence of rape, a trail of blood leading away from her tent and a bullet hole in her head”. Cause of death–suicide. That is, if you believe the Army’s account of the death of Pfc. LaVena Johnson, Johnson was the first female from Missouri to die in Iraq or Afghanistan. All too often, African American women are disregarded.  Apparently, not even the greatest acts of sacrifice (serving one’s country) will render Black women visible. The media bombarded us with reports on the death of Pat Tilman and the subsequent cover-up while Johnson’s story remains relatively unknown.

A Google search for “Lavena Johnson” returns approximately 47,000 hits. The same search for “Pat Tillman” draws 700,000 hits. Yes, we were all impressed with Tillman’s decision to serve his country since doing so meant leaving behind a lucrative sports career in the NFL. But what of Johnson’s sacrifice? Joining the armed services just after graduating from Hazelwood Central High School, Johnson’s future held much potential. Even in a large class, LaVena stood out due to academic excellence and involvement. So much so that many were surprised that she was putting off college to join the Army. Read more »