Justice for SurviveHERs

Vets for the People's Campaign for Justice for Vanessa Guillen (#Iam VanessaGuillen) work was one of three major campaigns in 2020-- they also worked on #VetsforBlackLives in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, and #ElectionDefenders, helping train veterans as volunteers to help voters vote free from intimidation or fear with joy.

Justice for SurviveHERs

There is a battle all must-win, especially forwomen who served in the United StatesMilitary. You might be thinking, what battle?The Justice battle for Military Sexual TraumaSurvivors and the victory to end themisogynistic military culture.

The battle for justice to end the misogynisticmilitary culture and protect Military SexualTrauma Survivors.

We fight because we have to and thankfullywe have an incredible leadHER on the frontlines, Pamela Campos-Palma, who started anorganization, Vets for The People.

By now, most of us know the story of our fallen sister, Specialist Vanessa Guillén, and how the loss of this sister began the new crusade to bring justice to all survivors and overhaul the military culture, as we know it.

Since the news broke, many other women (and men) came forward with their own personal MSTS stories bringing light to an often stifled and deeply disturbing culture within the military

Pamela Campos-Palma has worked for peace, security, and justice for some years, so when the news broke about Spec. Guillén, Campos-Palma personally led a charge to shut down Fort Hood.

Arguing on the basis that a military base should not continue to operate as normal when Soldiers disappear and are murdered,

Campos-Palma took her stand. Some pushed back, saying it was a radical position to make, one woman against the base often referred to as, “The Great Place.”

The only thing truly great about Fort Hood is the vast stretch of land it encompasses, 214,000 acres to be exact, which lends itself to easily making soldiers disappear

“Standing behind the charge to shut down Fort Hood is not radical. That is good sense,” said Campos-Palma. “And what is radical, what is extreme, is that women are abused, harassed, and raped in great numbers, and nothing has changed.”

In fact, a survey conducted by the Army Inspector General concluded in the summer of 2020 found that 35% of women serving at Fort Hood, reported being sexually harassed.

Additionally, Fort Hood officials report 26 soldiers died and another 12 Soldiers went missing in 2020.

Military sex crimes and impunity is a systemic problem within the Department of Defense. Fort Hood is notorious as a base that has had a prominent criminal activity for years.

It reached its peak of criminality, years ago, under the command of General Mark Milley— the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Campos-Palma stated, “When General Milliey was commander of Fort Hood, it was at its highest sexual assault cases, suicides, and one of the first human trafficking rings were found. So this is a base that, frankly, has gone under the radar. And this [behavior] has become so normalized.”

She continued by stating, “I personally feel that Vanessa should still be with us. There was a problem like this in 2014, six years ago. So for me, you know, what I often said is shutting down Fort Hood, in its most basic form was ceasing all operations and truly conducting an investigation.”

Campos-Palma has given a third of her life to national security. She wants to live her life insafety and ensure others can do so in a country and world truly safe, not just cosmetically safe.

In her words, “We have 800 bases, shutting down one base that in my opinion, is irreformable is not a loss,” said Campos-Palma. “Ensuring soldiers know that there are real consequences to military corruption and abuse, and stating we're not going to allow this any longer. That to me has more worth than protecting the egos of top military brass.”

We saw droves of women coming to fight back and rightfully so. One major truth, particularlywhen it comes to women warriors, is that women have been fighters across every ugly point inhistory.

Women have been right in the middle of every juncture of history, warriors for truth and justice,and survivors of unthinkable atrocities carried out by men in the name of war and glory.

What Campos-Palma does well in her demands is to take a stance without yelling orscreaming, a position that women often get backed into when standing up for themselves or acause.

"My philosophy is that we have a righteous rage, frankly. And the key, I think, is to know how tochannel that rage and fuel it into action,” said Campos-Palma.

There has been a long-standing struggle-cycle women have faced while serving in the military.The struggle has never been about the actual service.

The struggle lies within enduring the misogynistic mindset and culture rampant within themilitary, as well as the cover-ups that occur when something happens that doesn’t align withthe military values but does align with the misogynistic culture.

Here is what has been occurring among the ranks when a woman experiences MST.

She tells her truth, reports the violence, makes a strong case about her attack, she follows theframework by talking to a Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, a Victim Advocate, or evenmilitary police.

Then more times than not, she is not believed, a process of victim-blaming, mobbing, isolation,and retaliation begins—all the while she suffers again in a profession she chose because herexperience is too hard for others to understand, so they put blinders up and push her out.

Then she starts begging others to believe her, that her attack happened, she is not making it up,she needs someone to believe her, just one….and when no one does.

She moves onto another unit or her perpetrator does and she then continues to serve in spite ofthe unbelief. Sometimes, this cycle repeats when women change duty stations.

Women Veterans, at large, are busting out of a cycle that has been normalized for decades. We are at a point of reckoning in our country around corruption and injustice, and the Women Veteran community is able to make a path for change while breaking oppressive and abusive cycles.

“Vanessa’s death comes at a time of such reckoning in our country,” explains Campos-Palma. “Gloria, [Vanessa’s mother] impacted me personally because she reminded me that even the most marginalized in our society has a powerful voice when we call out the truth to power. She called out Army generals, she didn't blindly trust them, in fact, we cannot confuse respect with tolerance for abuse.”

The Guillén family’s public battle with the ‘big Army,” gained much support and traction among the Women Veterans community. One of the biggest keys in the movement was the power analysis by women veterans who are saying the broken system no longer works.

"And that's what the Guillén family said: I want to call you on your lies, you cannot say that you love the troops and that you love women soldiers, and not be actually rectifying the situation and repairing it and taking personal responsibility,” declared Campos-Palma.

This new rising in the movement for real justice for MST survivors stand on the shoulders of giants and women Veterans are no longer allowing themselves to be gaslighted.

There has been a decentralized movement because women Veterans are no longer waiting for permission to take a stand for real equity. There's such a sense of hope, and not an idealistic hope but a real hope for real change.

Most importantly, there has been progressing since Vanessa Guillén’s death.

“One major win is that the will and the power of women veterans. I just want anyone who's reading this to realize that what was achieved, what as built, just this year, has taken some organizations five to 10 years to build,” proclaimed Palma.

Campos-Palma was part of an effort to create a petition for former and current military women, doubling down on the demands of the Guillén family.

And in a matter of a week, the petition had over 4,000 signatures from people in 21 countries and territories.

A few weeks later, women veterans were delivering this letter to members of Congress on The Hill. We have seen that awareness isn’t enough to create a resolution. And the reality is that people just knowing rape is happening in the military has not been enough.

Our Country needed to be held accountable so women Veterans went to the media and Congress. As a direct result, Congresswoman Jackie Speier introduced bill H.R. 8270 to the House of Representatives on September 16, 2020, and the bill was supported by another 102 representatives.

The I Am Vanessa Guillén Act will fundamentally reform the reporting, investigation, and prosecution of sexual harassment and assault cases in the military and empowering an independent prosecutor to bring charges within each military service. The bill will also allow service members who were sexually harassed or assaulted to pursue monetary claims against the Department of Defense, as well as require a comprehensive U.S. Government Accountability Office review of the military’s sexual harassment and assault prevention and response programs and procedures for responding to missing service members.

“I got messages from people saying that this helped transform their lives, it brought real healing. Both, the legislative wins and wins on shifting the narrative, which we did,” said Campos-Palma. “For me, it's a win that we heal, and that we connect and that now there's a bigger ecosystem of fighters and advocates, you know, that are closely watching this bill.”

Unified voices are powerful and change is possible. A minority group can change the status quo and be successful when unified. In the summer of 2018, an article was published in Science, describing an experiment in which there was a shift in conventional thinking.

The experiment identified the percentage that is needed in order for a minority to shift the traditional conventional thinking. And you know, that percentage is actually quite low at only 25%. So when a minority group can get 25% of the population to shift their mentality, big change can happen.

“The military, often, in order to make us good soldiers, strips us of our individuality and also cleanses us of any political opinions. And so it's a real journey for anyone that is still curious and inquisitive,” said Campos-Palma. “Whether It's Your diversity of experience, faith, or ethnicity; All of these are gifts that we cannot ignore, that inform our worldview and our fight.”

Compared to our brothers-in-service, who are readily thanked and recognized for his service, women are underrepresented within the veteran population and have had to fight to be recognized.

Women Veterans know what it's like to have our experiences erased; therefore, women Veterans are more willing to take greater risks and stand together in this particular battle to be seen and heard. Women Veterans are more willing to hold people accountable because frankly, we have less to lose than our male counterparts who have been rewarded for their service and turning a blind eye to the injustices doled out to us in a misogynistic system.

“I've noticed that it's harder for men to critique an institution that has given them so much valor and reward. And I know that there are some good men that are in the fight to end military sex-crimes,” stated Campos-Palma.

“But I just want any woman reading this to never forget that which made us different is exactly what makes us powerful.”If you are reading this and want to tap into your own power, maybe a military sexual trauma survivor who is yet to join the cause and see the critical importance your story adds to the fight,

Science (June 17, 2018) How minority viewpoints become majority ones https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/06/how-minority-viewpointsbecome-majority-ones

I asked Pamela to impart advice on how to get involved.

“Oftentimes it can be overwhelming to come to a realization of injustice, also of our own pain. Some of the best fighters for justice are people who've experienced that injustice themselves. Unpacking has been a journey for me, a lot of folks are like, you sound so smart, and have all this figured out. And the reality is, it has taken me years, very hard years of doing internal work,” she said. “My first piece of advice is do not ever underestimate the power of internal work, to know yourself first, to understand your gifts, your pain, what you want to offer a movement is the first step. And then the second thing is oftentimes after we get past the overwhelm, please remember, you are not alone.”

Since the steadfast fight for justice has been an ongoing battle for decades, there are amazing organizations that would be good to join to continue to shift change in the right direction. Pamela, recommends three organizations to get involved:

Vets for the People: Is a political home within the Working Families Party for veterans, service members, and their families united in the fight for transformative change and raising our collective voice and skills through leadership development, community organizing, and movement building to ensure freedom and justice is true for ALL people. www.vetsforthepeople.org

Not in My Marine Corps: Is an organization to advocate for survivors of sexual assault and harassment among military service members, and expose the pervasive behaviors and attitudes that have been ingrained by complacent and dismissive military leadership. They aim to provide resources for servicewomen and men to report harassment or assault, take action to help themselves, and stand up for others.https://www.notinmymarinecorps.org/

Minority Veterans of America: MVA is building an intersectional movement of minority veterans and allies. They advocate equity, respect, and justice for all minority veterans. MVA works to change the narrative of the American Veteran to include our memberships’ identities. MVA works with legislators to advocate for policies that improve the lives and well-being of minority veterans. https://www.minorityvets.org/

So much of 2020 has been revealing, especially in areas of inequity and healing. The battle rages on in the pursuit of hope and healing for MST justice. Hurt, pain, and trauma come like ocean waves, scary, overpowering, relentless and healing happens in droplets, tiny raindrops. We won't get the whole ocean out in a day, as the body keeps the score and the waves of trauma ebb and flow within you. But when you get a cup of that trauma out, you've got to dump it so you can move forward.

As you slowly empty the trauma, cup-by-cup, you begin to move forward and gain momentum. This time, you join the fight and it feels like more than trauma being redeemed—it feels like hope and that keeps us moving forward.

“I believe in us, with every ounce of my being I believe in us. I believe in our ability to shape our future,” declared Campos-Palma. “I can see the future and the justice and peace that we could have. It's what keeps me going now because there are some days that I want to quit but I'm like it's brick by brick. And for me to help inflict infectious hope and belief, so other people join in the progress, and then I'm not laying those bricks by myself.”There are major advances in this pursuit of justice, peace, and security that Pamela Campos-Palma leads. There is hope for a better tomorrow, a better force for tomorrow, and for those following behind this generation of women warriors leaning into this battle and doing their part.

ASK HER

You all get a chance every month to ask our feature guest some questions that you want to know. This month we featured Pamela Campos-Palma and you asked the following questions.

Joanna asks: What was the defining moment in your life that put you all the way into action? When did you know that you had no choice but to put it all on the court?

I was raised by a very strong single mom, a Honduran immigrant who gave everything to give me a better life. Growing up I experienced many powerful moments where she taught me that caring for others and fighting for what I believed in made an important difference, no matter how powerless or scared I might feel in the fight. She taught me about injustice and was always unafraid to reach out to strangers in aid even though we had very little ourselves. I think she best prepared me for the injustices, tragedy, and violence I came to see up close in our society and during my time in military service. She taught me to never give up on our humanity and ability for collective good no matter the odds-- that kind of worldview and hope makes putting it all on the court the only option.

Jennifer asks: How do you balance activism and your personal life? I think activism is most powerful when it's rooted in our lived experiences and healthy relationships of care. To be an accountable organizer or leader I have to be grounded in my personal life. I work hard to surround myself with genuine, caring people who reflect my values, who teach and help me be the best version of myself, and most importantly who ensure I never feel like I'm on an island alone and who help take care of me when I forget.

Sarah asks: Do you have any pets, what are their names? Luna, our little monkey-dog is a very special part of our family. She is the sweetest, full of personality, and takes good care of me when I'm stressed.

Heather asks: When you take a breather, do you have a favorite place to travel? Guatemala is my favorite place in the world, so much so that I was married there! It's full of resilience, beauty, and a reminder of the best parts of humanity. I hope we can all come together to defeat this pandemic so we can travel again-- it was a very big part of my life.

Becca asks: Does God play a role in your life and how do you trust him in spite of trauma? Throughout my life spirituality and faith have played a very big role. I grew up in the Catholic faith tradition and similar to the military, I had a complicated relationship with the institution itself. But without a doubt, at every juncture of my life-- whether personal hardship, trauma, or the hard work I've chosen to give my life to-- I've leaned on my spirituality and worked to learn about different faith teachings to strengthen my own understanding and practice.

Next month we are talking to Monique Brown, LeadHER of Fob Hope, and Charlynda Scales, FoundHER of Mutt’s Sauce. Submit your questions to info@freedomsisters.com by 01/15/2021 and see if they make it into the magazine!