Today, we sit down with Julia Holtemeyer from SPARC to take a deeper dive into Stalking behaviors, definitions, and family/friend tips for survivors of stalking.

SPARC (Stalking Prevention, Awareness, & Resource Center) is a

federally funded project providing education and resources about the crime of stalking. SPARC aims to enhance the response to stalking by educating the professionals tasked with keeping stalking victims safe and holding offenders accountable. To stay up-to-date on SPARC’s resources and offerings, follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter) @FollowUsLegally and/or subscribe to our quarterly newsletter. SPARC does not provide direct services to victims. We recommend that stalking victims work with a local victim advocate, and the Victim Connect hotline can help connect victims with one. Local victim advocates can help plan for safety, discuss legal options, and connect victims with additional services. Victim Connect can be contacted at https://victimconnect.org/ for online messaging and information, and by phone at 1-855-484-2846. Local domestic violence and sexual assault support services/organizations often work with stalking victims/survivors, even when those victimizations are not part of the stalking. Unfortunately, there are no hotlines and few support service organizations that specifically work with victims/survivors of stalking. The list below includes specific resources mentioned in the podcast and links to learn more about stalking: · Documentation Log: Sample log to help track stalking incidents · Safety Planning Strategies: Considerations for safety planning with stalking victims · Identifying Stalking Behaviors: Specific questions to help identify stalking behaviors · Media portrayals of stalking: More information about how movies and TV portray stalking · Awareness Videos: Short videos on a variety of topics around stalking · Supporting Friends and Loved Ones Experiencing Stalking: Resources to help support loved ones being stalked · National Stalking Awareness Month: January 2025 is the 21st annual National Stalking Awareness Month, help us raise awareness this year and make it the loudest one yet · Resources for Professionals: Guides, checklists, tools for professionals supporting stalking victims and holding offenders accountable (victim service providers, law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, corrections, campus professionals, and more) · Stalking & Harassment Assessment & Risk Profile (SHARP): Free, online risk assessment tool for stalking · Recorded SPARC Trainings: Dive deeper and learn more about stalking by watching/listening to a recorded webinar training · Safety Net Project: Learn more about technology safety and privacy, including safety tips, information, and privacy strategies for survivors. If you or someone you know is experiencing stalking behaviors and is in need of help, in Pennsylvania go to PCAR’s website www.pcar.org and click on the tab Find help in PA or call 888-772-7227; outside Pennsylvania go to www.rainn.org or call 800-656-4073.

In this episode, we're joined by Jaime Cypher, PCAR's Children's Advocacy Coordinator, to discuss stalking. Listen along as Jaime discusses what stalking is, shares a recent experience of stalking after an event, and how bystanders can help and support when we see stalking happen. 

https://www.stopstalkingus.com/     https://defendyourself.org/      https://www.stalkingawareness.org/stalking-brochure/      https://www.stalkingawareness.org/documentation-log/

This episode we are joined by Marli Mayon, Training Projects Coordinator at PCAR, to learn about doulas. Marli tells us what doulas are, the different types of doulas, and how they can provide a trauma informed approach to the birthing experience. Marli also discusses the connect between doulas, reproductive justice, and the sexual violence movement. 

DONA International -- https://www.dona.org/ and Dauphin County Doulas -- https://www.dauphincountydoulas.com/ 

This episode we are joined by Marli Mayon, Training Projects Coordinator at PCAR. Marli discusses the history of reproductive justice, how it connects to the sexual violence movement, and ways people can promote and handle pushback about reproductive justice. Marli also provides listeners with resources to learn more. 

Show Notes

Sister Song -- https://www.sistersong.net/  

Killing the Black Body by Dorothy E. Roberts -- https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/155575/killing-the-black-body-by-dorothy-roberts/    

We Testify on Instagram -- https://www.instagram.com/wetestify/?hl=en      

Planned Parenthood -- https://www.plannedparenthood.org/      

Sex Ed is a Reproductive Justice Issue -- https://urge.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Sex-Ed-RJ-Fact-Sheet.pdf 

In this episode, we discuss victim blaming, how this impacts survivors of sexual violence, and why people victim blame. We also discuss what selective compassion is and how this relates to the work we do with victims of sexual violence. We discuss how victim blaming and selective compassion are harmful and how we can do better.

To find a local rape crisis center in PA, call 1-888-772-7227 or visit https://pcar.org/help-pa/locations

Learn More:

• Observer's reaction to the "innocent victim"

In this two-part episode, we talk with Tina Lopes and Barb Thomas, the authors of Dancing on Live Embers: Challenging Racism in Organizations. Tina and Barb highlight how to utilize and improve organizational assessments to measure anti-racism efforts in non-profit and anti-sexual violence organizations.

You can learn more about Tina and the book at tinalopes.com. Other works from Barb can be found through Between the Lines Publications.

Learn More:

• PA Centered: Dancing on Live Embers with Tina Lopes and Barb Thomas –

• Part 1/Episode 8 - https://pacentered.podbean.com/e/8/

How the Mainstream Movement Against Gender-Based Violence Fails Black Workers and Survivors - https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2022/03/racism-domestic-violence-sexual-assault-movement-anti-me-too-black/

Join us this week as we speak with Representative Joanna McClinton, Democratic Leader of Pennsylvania’s State House.

Representative McClinton has served as a member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2015, representing the 191st State House District, which includes parts of Western and Southwestern Philadelphia, Yeadon, and Darby.

Representative McClinton has worked as an attorney and policymaker for a decade. She’s a historic trailblazer, passionate advocate, and dedicated public servant.

In 2015, Rep McClinton was the first woman ever to be elected from her district to the State House. Three years later, she became the first woman and first black person in Pennsylvania’s History to serve as Chair of the State House Democratic Caucus. In 2020, Representative McClinton became the first woman elected to serve as Democratic Leader of Pennsylvania’s State House, the oldest legislative body in the United States.

Learn more:

PCAR legislative priorities

Visit Rep. Joanna McClinton's website

In this episode of History You Should Know, you will learn about 15-year-old Claudette Colvin, who refused to give up her seat on the bus six months before Rosa Parks would do the same. These actions contributed to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which has gone down in history as the first large-scale US demonstration against segregation. 

Join us this week as we speak with Representative Donna Bullock, a member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives representing the 195th Legislative District, which includes parts of North and West Philadelphia.

Representative Bullock is an attorney, mother, wife, and a tireless public servant, who is committed to supporting working families through legislative initiatives that fund public education, create jobs, and build healthy, sustainable communities. She is an advocate for equal pay, an increased minimum wage, clean energy and environmental justice, quality public schools and pre-k education, and sustainable community development.

Learn more:

Visit Rep. Bullock’s House of Representatives Member page

PCAR legislative priorities

This episode we are joined by the Women’s Resource Center to learn about a project they did looking at the state of teen dating violence (TDV) policies in public school districts. Listen now to learn how you can utilize the scorecard they created to improve TDV policies in your own schools!

Learn More:

• The State of Dating Violence Policies in Public Schools Districts in PA’s Lackawanna and Susquehanna Counties

Break the Cycle - Safe Schools Model Policy