Queer bodies are not for public control.
Watch now | Alissa discusses how the ongoing legislative attacks on queer and trans communities create an environment where sexual harm can flourish.
Ampersands Restorative Justice
We make restorative justice accessible to people and communities affected by sexual harm.
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The Room Got Very Quiet
This past week, I stood in front of about thirty people at a local college.
Accountability Under Attack
Watch now | We explore three recent news stories that highlight the incredible strides made by survivors and advocates to hold harm-doers accountable, as well as the efforts underway to discredit survivors and make legal justice harder to achieve.
Can you stay present when it gets hard?
Discomfort is not harm.
The Machine of Sexual Violence
Watch now | A conversation with Dr. Guila Benchimol & Dr. Alissa Ackerman
A Letter to Readers
One Year of Writing, One Year of Asking Hard Questions
Beyond "Monsters"
The Collective Failure to End the Sexual Violence Epidemic
A Jewish moral reckoning on sexual violence
As high-profile scandals feed antisemitic conspiracies, it’s tempting to avoid talking about abuse in the Jewish community, but silence betrays survivors
Dehumanization as a Permission Structure for Cruelty
We cannot tolerate injustices because we view some lives as less valuable than others.
Is justice a funnel or a bridge back to each other?
The promise of justice is bigger than what the funnel can provide.
When Reporting Isn’t Safety
What survivors know that society refuses to hear.
Sexual Harm: It's Not "Them," It's "Us"
Safety begins when we acknowledge that harm lives close to home.
A Journey of Empowerment & Support
Introducing Ampersands Advocacy Resources
Accounting for our Restorative Justice Practice this High Holiday Season
This post originally appeared on the SRE Network website.
The Tuna Net Analogy
How many other creatures are inadvertently caught in the nets?
Sex Crimes Laws as Moral Panic
The goal of these policies is public safety, but is that attainable?
The Dangerous Impact of 2SLGBTQIA+ Data Removal in the Trump Era
Data is not just about numbers. It’s about dignity.
Queer Representation in Restorative Processes
Content warning: This post contains references to homophobia and childhood trauma.
The Mental Health Impacts of Sexual Harm in Jewish Spaces
Last week, I came across a social media post from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). It offered Jewish mental health resources for Jewish American Heritage Month, including several vital resources, such as BeWell, OneTable.org, and The Blue Dove Foundation
Coloring Outside the Lines
It was a chilly and gray winter Washington afternoon in 2014.