Race, Rape Culture, and Resistance
As part of this commitment, SafeBAE has expanded our Certified Peer Educator Training and developed Race, Rape Culture, and Resistance, a learning series centered on Black youth. Together, these resources offer historical context, present-day analysis, and pathways toward healing — grounded in the lived experiences that shaped SafeBAE from the very beginning.
Founder Spotlight
Jada Smith | Co-Founder of SafeBAE
Jada Smith co-founded SafeBAE with a simple but powerful goal: to make sure that what happened to her would never happen to anyone else.
As a Black teenage survivor of sexual violence, Jada’s life was shaped not only by the harm she experienced, but by the way that harm was exploited and circulated online. Images of her unconscious body were shared without consent, sparking the viral hashtag #JadaPose, which turned her assault into a public spectacle and exposed her to widespread cruelty at a moment of profound vulnerability.
Rather than disappearing, Jada made a deliberate and powerful choice: she spoke out. By reclaiming her name, face, and voice, Jada challenged a culture that too often dehumanizes Black girls — treating their pain as entertainment and their bodies as disposable. Her decision helped catalyze a broader movement of survivor-led resistance, as people across the country mobilized in support of Jada through hashtags like #JusticeForJada, #IAmJada, #StandWithJada, and #JadaCounterPose.
“There’s no point in hiding… Everybody has already seen my face and my body, but that’s not what I am and who I am.” — Jada Smith
What to Expect
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- Sexual violence under U.S. slavery and the denial of consent
- Post-emancipation racial terror and survivor testimony
- Racist sexual stereotypes targeting Black women and men
- Lynching, Jim Crow violence, and legal exclusion
- Resistance from the Civil Rights era through the modern #MeToo movement
This module traces how racism and rape culture developed together in U.S. history. Learners examine cases such as Celia, the 1866 Memphis Riot testimony of Frances Thompson, the exploitation of Sarah Baartman, and the dismantling of the “Black rapist” myth by Ida B. Wells. It also highlights resistance led by Recy Taylor, Betty Jean Owens, and Tarana Burke, situating #MeToo within a much longer Black feminist lineage.
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- Disproportionate rates of sexual violence affecting Black youth
- Barriers to reporting and mistrust of systems
- Bias in policing, courts, and schools
- Hypersexualization and adultification of Black girls
- Media stereotypes and school discipline disparities
This module focuses on how historical racism shows up in Black survivors’ lives today. Using current data and lived examples, learners explore why reporting can feel unsafe or harmful, and how stereotypes continue to shape responses to Black pain. The module includes a contemporary case study of Megan Thee Stallion, alongside discussions of dress codes, adultification bias, and the erasure of Black childhood — especially for Black girls and LGBTQ+ youth.
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- Historical myths portraying Black men as sexual threats
- Lynching, false accusations, and racial terror
- Consent, boundaries, and the silencing of Black boys
- Toxic masculinity, stigma, and mental health impacts
- Public survivor disclosures and pathways to support
This module centers Black boys and men as survivors, challenging the myth that they are only perpetrators or “always want sex.” Learners examine the deadly consequences of racist stereotypes through the murder of Emmett Till, and explore how stigma prevents many boys from being believed or supported. The module also highlights survivor voices from Reggie Walker, Terry Crews, and Lil Wayne, showing how speaking out can help dismantle shame and open doors to healing.
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- Media representation and its impact on beliefs about relationships
- Victim-blaming and the “fast” stereotype
- Abuse portrayed as comedy or normalized behavior
- Generational trauma and silence
- Survivor storytelling through music and film
This module analyzes how Black relationships and sexual violence are portrayed in popular media — and how those portrayals shape real-world attitudes. Learners engage with examples from film and music, including Divorce in the Black, Woman Thou Art Loosed, and Don’t Be a Menace, as well as lyrical storytelling from Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z and Beyonce, and Raye. The module encourages critical reflection on what media teaches about consent, credibility, and whose pain is taken seriously.
SafeBAE is a 501c3 Not-for-Profit Organization
