December Reading Retreat Application
Trigger Warning: The subject of this reading retreat is sexual harm in the Black community and the opportunity to develop alternatives to the criminal justice system to acknowledge, heal, and affirm survivors as well as hold perpetrators of harm accountable. We understand completely if folx are not ready to engage this application or be in space with us to tackle this issue and want anyone who feels unready to know that we love and hold them, unconditionally and unequivocally.

Thank you for your interest in 400+1’s #WeMustHealOurselves Reading Retreat. 400+1’s reading retreats are experiences intentionally crafted with the idea that the examination of the Black experience and the naming of the phenomena that comprise it are prerequisites to the collective healing that serves as a crucial component of building Black capacity for mass movement. Each retreat is a seven day reprieve for self care and study; a free get-away during which the only expectation is spiritual and intellectual transformation.

The We Must Heal Ourselves Initiative was founded, as a 400+1 program, in October 2018, after Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the United States Supreme Court. Before Kavanaugh, the #MeToo Movement directed the attention of millions to the issue of sexual harm and afterward Surviving R. Kelly re-sparked the conversation around sexual harm in Black communities, specifically. These trigger events have led many to the conclusion that policing and traditional judicial systems are incapable of addressing the needs of survivors. As 400+1 grappled with this, it was revealed that the city in which it was founded-Austin, Texas-was complicit in the national exceptional clearance controversy, undergirding its belief that abolition and survivor justice are inextricably linked.

400+1 stands resolutely on its commitment to healing, acknowledging, and holding its own communities accountable without seeking the interference of the state. Through #WeMustHealOurselves, 400+1 is applying an abolitionist and healing oriented framework for justice in pursuit of reconciliation and acknowledgment for survivors.

Join 400+1 for a close reading of Arrested Justice by Beth Richie supplemented by articles like Punishment is Not Justice by Wendy C. Ortiz, A Different Path for Sexual Assault by Sujatha Baliga, and the TIME Magazine piece written by dream Hampton about her work on Surviving R. Kelly. Help us establish a six month plan to continue our work of creating healing spaces for Black survivors of sexual harm, spaces that encourage acknowledgement and healing from those who have harmed others, and a call for an eradication of the systemic perpetuation of the cycle of harm itself .

Please fill out the following form to apply to be selected for the December Reading Retreat. Applications will be accepted until October 30th.

Travel Arrangement Info: Please plan to be at the retreat space in Acapulco, Mexico from December 9th until December 16th. 400+1 offers travel support. In exchange, we ask that folx are honest about what they can comfortably afford to contribute to travel costs.

This event is only for those that identify as Black. If you are not Black please consider donating to ensure that this event can be accessible to Black folx for free. https://www.paypal.com/paypalme2/fourhundredandone

Please email us at info@fourhundredandone.com with any additional questions.

Follow us on social media at @400and1 to stay up to date on all developments.
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Please confirm that you identify as Black. *
Required
Name (First, Last) *
Email Address *
Phone Number *
Pronouns *
DOB (You must be at least 18 years of age to attend) *
Are you currently affiliated with any movement oriented organizations or collectives? Please list them here. *
400+1 offers travel support to those attending our free retreats. Tickets to Acapulco, Mexico range from $600-$900 round trip. We are a small federation with a limited budget and we ask that folx honestly share what they can comfortably contribute to their travel costs. If you can't make any of the contributions described below, email us at info@fourhundredandone.com. *
Do you identify as a survivor of sexual harm? (Though any Black person can apply, survivors are given precedence in this application process. It's important that those who are most impacted by systems and cultures of sexual violence are given the opportunity to lead us toward real solutions and societal accountability.) *
What is healing? *
What will you need, in this space, to participate in and facilitate collective healing? *
Is it harmful to continue to use the term "justice" when conceptualizing or describing responses to harm in our communities that can/will/do serve as alternatives to the criminal justice system? Is justice what we're seeking? What term/s might we use instead? *
Agents of the state are often perpetrators of sexual harm. Their ability to perpetrate that harm is undergirded and reinforced by the power dynamic that exists between the state and the people. How do we, as abolitionists, hold agents of the state accountable for the harm they perpetrate against our communities? *
What are some ways the conversation about restorative justice as response to sexual harm is gendered? How can we move away from that? *
Is the death penalty different when imposed by the state than when decided upon by a community (independently of state interference)? Why or why not? *
Do you have accessibility needs? *
Do you have any dietary restrictions? *
What did you dislike most about this application? *
How did you find out about the reading retreat? *
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