Frequently Asked Questions for COV4
Who is organizing COV4?
COV4 is a project of INCITE! Women of Color & Trans People of Color Against Violence, which includes a national organizing committee, an organizing base in Chicago, and the broader INCITE! network. INCITE! is not a non-profit and does not have paid employees.
Are speakers participating in COV4 receiving honoraria?
There are no speaker honoraria, and there never has been for any conference that INCITE! has organized. We have a very tight budget and all of the funds we raise go towards the cost of getting the conference off the ground (space rent, A/V, childcare, disability & language justice support, travel, etc) and supporting people who need financial assistance to attend.
Can white people come to COV4?
For COV4, we ask that individuals and communities respect the ongoing priority of centering women of color and trans/queer people of colors organizers, speakers, presenters, participants and conference attendees. In the case of registration beyond the space capacity of the conference, we will prioritize women of color/trans people of color/people of color in admission and seating. Facilitators/presenters of some sessions/events may request narrower criteria for attendance of their events. More broadly, we urge each one of us and all of us as a collective group to consider how our participation in (or decision to not attend) COV4 can reflect the race/gender political intentions of the conference and contribute to a greater politic of which we are all a part.
More about this principle here.
What is the goal of COV4?
A few things. First, we want to create a space to collectively develop the work on how to address violence beyond the state that so many organizers, artists, scholars, and others have developed. One thing that has been crystallized this year with the uprisings challenging police violence is that we can not rely on the state for safety or accountability. So, how do we go beyond the state? We want to discuss the tensions we've seen in "community accountability" and "transformative justice," share some promising strategies and learnings, have some debates about approaches, and do that all in a space of art, care, and community. More details about this vision can be found in the call for proposals.
Second, we want to meaningfully connect to and learn from the brilliant, transformative organizing happening in Chicago. The relationship between INCITE! and Chicago's social justice communities is historic. Chicago is the home of 5 founding members of INCITE!, most of whom are active in the planning of this conference. Chicago’s anti-violence collectives and organizations have also been important leaders in developing the politics and practices of community accountability and transformative justice. And Chicago was home to COV2 in 2002.
Finally, INCITE! will be 15 years old! We've had three COV conferences, one Revolution Will Not Be Funded conference, two anthologies, two organizing toolkits, several reports and statements, one cultural arts tour, one regional gathering, more than one epic brainstorm, a bunch of activist institutes, lots of posters and media, many chapters and affiliates, and a long list of organizing projects. There are thousands of incredible people who have participated in these projects and events. Join us in celebrating this body of work because INCITE! is made possible by the labor of our hearts and hands. Let's continue to build transformative possibilities for all of our communities...
What do you hope people will gain from coming to COV4?
We want conference attendees to feel connected and galvanized. We hope that current anti-violence organizing projects will be strengthened and new promising projects will be developed at the conference. We want to celebrate everyone's incredible social justice work. We hope people's vision of the potential of what we can build together becomes clearer, broadened, and radicalized. Also, we want to have fun, to celebrate and make art, and to have a dance party!
What is INCITE!'s view on community accountability?
INCITE! comes together on some fundamental principles around community accountability work. Nobody is disposable, we generally try to highlight other strategies besides removing people. We try to avoid "call outs" and we approach community accountability as a meaningful process for the long haul -- a project of constructive transformation rather than rejection and public shaming. The idea behind community accountability is that it not only avoids using the prison industrial complex as a system, it tries to avoid a PIC-based approach (disappearing people, punishment, etc). That said, community accountability does not have a principle of political purity or perfection, but it is fundamentally open to critical conversations, debates, and specific ideas about how to move forward together. Beyond that, we recognize that community accountability processes are complex, there are many different approaches, and we don't all necessarily agree about everything! We are committed to learning from and growing the movement of people engaged in developing this crucial part of social justice organizing.
I still have more questions! What should I do?
Give us a ring...
---
COV4 Statement about the 3/28/15 Pool Event
COV4 Statement about online harassment
COV4 is a project of INCITE! Women of Color & Trans People of Color Against Violence, which includes a national organizing committee, an organizing base in Chicago, and the broader INCITE! network. INCITE! is not a non-profit and does not have paid employees.
Are speakers participating in COV4 receiving honoraria?
There are no speaker honoraria, and there never has been for any conference that INCITE! has organized. We have a very tight budget and all of the funds we raise go towards the cost of getting the conference off the ground (space rent, A/V, childcare, disability & language justice support, travel, etc) and supporting people who need financial assistance to attend.
Can white people come to COV4?
For COV4, we ask that individuals and communities respect the ongoing priority of centering women of color and trans/queer people of colors organizers, speakers, presenters, participants and conference attendees. In the case of registration beyond the space capacity of the conference, we will prioritize women of color/trans people of color/people of color in admission and seating. Facilitators/presenters of some sessions/events may request narrower criteria for attendance of their events. More broadly, we urge each one of us and all of us as a collective group to consider how our participation in (or decision to not attend) COV4 can reflect the race/gender political intentions of the conference and contribute to a greater politic of which we are all a part.
More about this principle here.
What is the goal of COV4?
A few things. First, we want to create a space to collectively develop the work on how to address violence beyond the state that so many organizers, artists, scholars, and others have developed. One thing that has been crystallized this year with the uprisings challenging police violence is that we can not rely on the state for safety or accountability. So, how do we go beyond the state? We want to discuss the tensions we've seen in "community accountability" and "transformative justice," share some promising strategies and learnings, have some debates about approaches, and do that all in a space of art, care, and community. More details about this vision can be found in the call for proposals.
Second, we want to meaningfully connect to and learn from the brilliant, transformative organizing happening in Chicago. The relationship between INCITE! and Chicago's social justice communities is historic. Chicago is the home of 5 founding members of INCITE!, most of whom are active in the planning of this conference. Chicago’s anti-violence collectives and organizations have also been important leaders in developing the politics and practices of community accountability and transformative justice. And Chicago was home to COV2 in 2002.
Finally, INCITE! will be 15 years old! We've had three COV conferences, one Revolution Will Not Be Funded conference, two anthologies, two organizing toolkits, several reports and statements, one cultural arts tour, one regional gathering, more than one epic brainstorm, a bunch of activist institutes, lots of posters and media, many chapters and affiliates, and a long list of organizing projects. There are thousands of incredible people who have participated in these projects and events. Join us in celebrating this body of work because INCITE! is made possible by the labor of our hearts and hands. Let's continue to build transformative possibilities for all of our communities...
What do you hope people will gain from coming to COV4?
We want conference attendees to feel connected and galvanized. We hope that current anti-violence organizing projects will be strengthened and new promising projects will be developed at the conference. We want to celebrate everyone's incredible social justice work. We hope people's vision of the potential of what we can build together becomes clearer, broadened, and radicalized. Also, we want to have fun, to celebrate and make art, and to have a dance party!
What is INCITE!'s view on community accountability?
INCITE! comes together on some fundamental principles around community accountability work. Nobody is disposable, we generally try to highlight other strategies besides removing people. We try to avoid "call outs" and we approach community accountability as a meaningful process for the long haul -- a project of constructive transformation rather than rejection and public shaming. The idea behind community accountability is that it not only avoids using the prison industrial complex as a system, it tries to avoid a PIC-based approach (disappearing people, punishment, etc). That said, community accountability does not have a principle of political purity or perfection, but it is fundamentally open to critical conversations, debates, and specific ideas about how to move forward together. Beyond that, we recognize that community accountability processes are complex, there are many different approaches, and we don't all necessarily agree about everything! We are committed to learning from and growing the movement of people engaged in developing this crucial part of social justice organizing.
I still have more questions! What should I do?
Give us a ring...
---
COV4 Statement about the 3/28/15 Pool Event
COV4 Statement about online harassment