The Fight Goes On: Help Me Protect Civil Liberties

December 17, 2021

To all my supporters, thank you for your generous support. I want to announce that I have filed a federal lawsuit against Smith College in U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts. 

All additional donations to his GFM page will be used as I see fit to support my case against Smith, for my personal needs, or to support my artistic and creative projects. The funds that I raised in this fundraiser to support other individuals who are trapped in hostile workplaces or have been forced out of their job due to a hostile situation are still being distributed.

Onward,
Jodi

June 27, 2021

It is thanks to supporters of this GoFundMe that I am proud to announce the incorporation of Integrity Matters (website under construction) a new organization that will promote civil liberties, social equality, and free speech by supporting individuals marginalized by oppressive ideologies. Integrity Matters will provide funding for individuals whose civil rights have been infringed upon; grants for artists whose voices have been stifled; campaign to raise awareness, and work to advance cultural integrity in America.

Thank you again for your support. 

Onward!

Jodi

PS (added August 18, 2021) If you prefer, you can also donate to Integrity Matters using PayPal !

If you would like to make a TAX DEDUCTIBLE donation to Integrity Matters, please contact me at jodi at integritymatters dot org


May 29, 2021

To all my supporters:

I owe you a profound debt of gratitude. When I resigned from Smith College over the hostile and discriminatory work environment I endured there, I did not for a moment imagine that I would receive anything more than a smattering of well-wishes. As a single mom, I faced an uncertain future. After being hounded out of the college I love, my alma mater, where I had invested three years of hard work, things looked pretty bleak. 

Your generosity and unstinting support, as well as all the love and solidarity you’ve expressed over these months, changed all that. I reached out for help and you responded not only by inspiring ignited in me much more than hope; you restored my faith in our society. I understood that, far from being alone, I was part of a network of allies. I just had never known it until that moment. 

I have now heard from many people across this country with stories similar to my own; people who are trapped in hostile situations in which they are forced to compromise their civil liberties or engage in violating the civil liberties of others as a continued condition of their employment. These individuals look to me as someone who’s been in the same kind of frightening situations they find themselves in—who has experienced the intimidation, the fear and the uncertainty—and made it through to the other side. I feel I have an obligation not only to continue my own battle against Smith but to help these individuals who have reached out to me. 

The big news is that I have begun the process of building an organization through which to distribute funds I have raised for others on this GoFundMe. I will be making an announcement soon about this organization as well as how to apply for help.

I’ll be keeping you up to speed as I build my organization. There is a lot to be excited about. We are making more progress than I could have possibly hoped for. Only by creating a dynamic movement of like-minded people rooted in a deep respect for fairness and a love for civil rights can we counter the radicalism eating its way through our most cherished institutions.

I will continue to look to you as my allies.  Onward!

x
Jodi
www.jodishaw.net


March 5, 2021
***I have now raised over $150k for other individuals in hostile work environments. I am in discussions with a non-profit to properly distribute these funds and will announce the non-profit shortly!***

In the meantime, this has turned into a much bigger endeavor than I ever could have anticipated, and I now find myself in a position to help this cause in ways I had not previously anticipated. I feel like this is an opportunity and I want to do it right! However, in order to do this I need a lot more support (for example, I have hired an assistant, and that costs money). Therefore, all monies raised in excess of $290k will go directly back to me to spend as I see fit on personnel, items, and services to help guide and support me as I navigate this new environment and continue to promote this cause in the way(s) I feel I am now able and willing to do. I need to be general about this, because although right now I know some of the specifics (I need to hire some support personnel) I do not know what other needs might arise as this situation develops, and I want to be able to do whatever is called for when it is called for. So anything above $290k is the "I believe in Jodi" fund.  

February, 2021

GoFundMe has released the hold on my account!!

Thank you for your generous support. Please read my update below.

Since going public with my own story of being trapped in a hostile work environment, I have heard from people – both my own former colleagues and others – who are in similar situations but cannot afford to take action. With any money I raise in excess of $150,000, I would like to help others exercise their right to be free from a hostile work environment.

The purpose of this cause is to raise money for the legal and living (mortgage/rent, food, transportation, child care) expenses of myself and others who are were forced to leave their jobs due to a hostile work environment and/or would like to take legal action but cannot do so due to lack of financial resources. 

The people who have come to me for support cannot afford to have their identities exposed while still employed. It is precisely this climate of fear that I am seeking to combat with my lawsuit, but revealing the identities of other individuals trapped in hostile work environments would compromise their safety and security.

***Therefore, any monies over $150K will be placed in an escrow account to be disbursed as needed to individuals I know or who have reached out to me who are trapped in hostile workplaces, including in the workplace of my own former employer. ***

As February 22, together with monies contribute to my private PayPal account, we have raised $85K for this escrow account alone.

This is important as there are many others in the wings who are thinking about or preparing to take action and could really use the help.

Let's keep this going!
 
My original statement:

Through an increasing emphasis on trainings and programs grounded in Critical Social Justice, an incredibly dehumanizing ideology that posits a person’s immutable characteristics as more important than their individual character, Smith College and other institutions like it have created and nurtured a hostile work environment for staff, students and faculty.

I took a public stand against these dehumanizing policies and practices at Smith College in a series of YouTube videos. My hope was that I could not only improve working conditions for staff at Smith, but for working people everywhere who suffer under similar policies in their workplaces.

Smith responded by placing me on a leave and under investigation. During this time I was offered a settlement in exchange for my silence. In the end it was a decision between comfort or freedom. I chose freedom. 

Since I cannot return to the psychologically abusive environment without further jeopardizing my mental and physical health, I have decided to leave the College.

But my fight has not ended. In some ways it has just begun. Please join me in standing up to a divisive, destructive ideology that threatens to tear our country apart. Help me hold Smith College accountable for its actions in a court of law.

You can read my resignation letter here

Please know, any comments may be re-posted on www.jodishaw.net/stories