Rape Culture Within The Culture | The Silent Cries of Strong Black Girls   Disclaimer:  This episode is about sexual violence and may be a trigger for some.  Please proceed with caution. Rape culture is not a group of people who are actively or openly promoting rape -- that's not to imply that that kind of thing doesn't happen, but what we're talking about in this episode is every day cultural practices  in which sexual violence is treated as the norm and victims are blamed for their own assault and how "the culture" contributes to this kind of behavior.  Some of the  practices/behavior we talked about in this episode are: * "What happens in this house stays in this house" * Telling women that they we're dressed inappropriately   * Victim blaming * Not having conversations with our sons (at a  young age) about their responsibility for how they treat women * Giving the penis and vagina "cute" names  * Publicly defending celebrities while accusing victims of wanting to destroy their careers * No means no even within the confines of a relationship * S and M/Sexual fantasies Listed below are some resources for anyone who has been a victim of sexual violence &/or for those who need help having the tough conversations and asking the hard questions. Organization Phone Number Description Stop It Now! 1-888-PREVENT (773-8368) Educational resource on watching for signs of child abuse, what to do if you suspect it, and ways to report it New Hope Now 714-NEW-HOPE (639-4673) Christian based counseling services RAINN 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) Immediate crisis help and information about recovery and prosecution from the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network Safe Horizon 1-866-621-HOPE (4673) 24 hour hotline for many kinds of abuse Kristin Brooks Hope Center 1-800-SUICIDE Non-profit with focus on suicide counseling and awareness Covenant House 1-800-999-9999 Free and confidential counseling, available 4:00pm-8:00pm, 7 days a week Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) National suicide prevention lifeline Childhelp 1-800-4-A-CHILD (422-4453) National child abuse hotline This episode is one of many conversations we need to normalize in  African American familes.  Our Children's lives depend on it. Tune in now to see how you can your family's dynamic by being bold enough, courageous to have the hard conversations.  And when you've soaked up all of this goodness, hop on over to  Shades of Strong and leave us a message telling us what you thought about the episode. OR Head on over to