Leslie Simon: "Project Survive"

Many people are familiar with the "Cycle of Violence" first outlined by Lenore Walker in her book The Battered Woman (1979), which describes intimate partner violence as moving through three phases: honeymoon, tension building, explosion, and back to honeymoon. In the scenarios Walker described, the victim does not fight back. But we now understand some victims do fight back. Sometimes it's self-defense, but other times it is a phenomenon called "violent resistance," which is another factor that makes it difficult for people being abused to leave abusive relationships. By understanding all the reasons victims find it hard to leave, we can become more compassionate and supportive friends and family to them.

Leslie Simon founded “Poetry for the People” at City College of San Francisco in 1975 and taught for many years in the Women’s and Gender Studies Department, which she chaired for a decade. In 1994, Leslie founded Project SURVIVE, City College’s nationally recognized, award winning sexual violence prevention program, which she coordinated for nearly 25 years.Leslie has received awards for her teaching and program development including the Stanback-Stroud Diversity Award from the California Community College State Academic Senate and the KQED Women’s History Month Local Hero Award. Leslie co-founded and co-coordinates (with Ann Wettrich) Groundswell, an architectural literacy program housed in the Interdisciplinary Studies Department at City College. They taught “Introduction to Museum Studies for nearly a decade and are currently developing a Museum Studies and Social Justice certificate.