We are the Work

"We Are The Work" is about how Men Stopping Violence (MSV), a small, social justice nonprofit, got to do big things, about the intriguing characters that formed and were informed by MSV's mission, about how men and women learned to work in solidarity to address men's violence against women (VAW), about their successes and failures, the lessons which became the Core Principles that guide their work. One of those principles, We Are the Work, means that no matter where or when you enter the struggle to end VAW you have to start and stay with examining yourself. You have to identify both your strengths and your "blind spots." And It's not about whether or how you transcend those "blind spots." It's that you have to know that they're there and how you will address them. This book tells the stories that illuminate those personal and institutional challenges. The rhetoric and analyses used to tackle this thorny issue are only part of the story. "We Are the Work" gets to how all of that talk about eliminating violence against women stands up to real-world challenges. Here are the take-home lessons from 30 years in the trenches of social justice work.