Authors Rally Online to Raise Funds for Rape Victims
Last summer, in the Dunbar Village public housing complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, a mother and her son were brutally tortured and gang-raped, and four African-American teenagers were eventually charged with the atrocities. Last month, Al Sharpton came to their defense, based on the fact that they had been remanded into custody to await trial while a group of white teens charged in another sexual assault case in nearby Boca Raton had been freed on bail. To many bloggers following the case, Sharpton was suggesting these guys should be out on bail, too, a position one described as “unconscionable.” (He soon attempted to clarify his position, saying he’d merely argued for equal treatment of all defendants.)
One blogger, novelist Tayari Jones, decided she wanted to help the victims, so she announced that she would take bids on an manuscript critique and donate the proceeds to the family. Soon, more authors contributed to the cause, offering critiques of novels, memoirs, poems and short stories—George Saunders added signed copies of all his books, and Natasha Trethewey put in a signed copy of her collection, Native Guard, and New York-based photographer Rachel Eliza Griffith will do a free session for the highest bidder. Bidding on all the available items will continue through the weekend.
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