NO! Study Guide

A Ford Foundation-funded teaching and organizing tool for educators and facilitators, this study guide supports workshops, class sessions, and semester-long courses. NO! The Rape Documentary may be screened in full or used in segments within curricula addressing race, gender, and sexuality.

Segmented viewing allows for focused, theme-based discussion. The guide can be followed chapter by chapter or used flexibly for student-led dialogue, exercises, and extended learning.

A tool for everyone

This study guide accompanies NO! The Rape Documentary and is intended for individuals and communities seeking to deepen understanding of rape and sexual assault. The film can serve as a catalyst for conversation in classrooms, campuses, and community spaces.

Screenings may take place in dorms, classrooms, churches, mosques, rape crisis centers, shelters, correctional facilities, living rooms, and beyond. Discussions may follow immediately or unfold over time, supporting reflection, integration, and collective engagement.

This 100-page guide includes:

  • Producer/Director Statement

  • Summaries of the different DVD chapters of NO! The Rape Documentary

  • Excerpts from the transcribed testimonies of rape survivors and quotes from the documentary to spark discussion

  • Myths and facts about rape and sexual assault so participants in discussions have relevant information regarding the truth about sexual violence and its impact

  • A glossary of terms useful for talking about sexual assault in the African-American community

  • Discussion questions about the subject of sexual assault to promote positive and informative conversations for participants

  • Worksheets and handouts for participants to use to reflect on what they think they know about rape and sexual violence in their communities

  • Additional essays on the role of religion in violence against women and the role of dance in healing sexual violence

  • Production stills from the documentary.

  • A bibliography of books, journals and articles on sexual violence

  • A detailed listing of national organizations that address all forms of sexual violence

The entire content of this guide is protected under copyright law. Please feel free to use any part of this guide as long as proper credit is attributed to the source of your information.

To download PDFs of the NO! The Rape Documentary Study Guide in four sections, please click each section:

6. Holding Men Accountable — Campus, Clergy, and Community
Intraracial Betrayal and Sexual Violence (Janelle White’s Testimony)
Black Feminist Men and the Anti-Rape Violence Movement
Black Leaders and Sexual Violence (Aaronette M. White’s Testimony)
The Mike Tyson Trial
Sexual Assault and Religion
Media, Stereotypes, and a Rape Culture

7. Unequal Justice Under Law
Audree Iron’s Testimony
Sexual Assault and the Criminal Justice System
Disparities in the American Judicial System

8. Healing, Faith, and Hope
Loretta Ross’s Testimony
Activism and Recovery
Arts as Recovery
Accountability and Recovery

Download Section IV
Epilogue
The Role of Religion in Violence Against Women – Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons, Ph.D.
Meditations of Resistance: A Triptych of Total Regeneration – Tamara L. Xavier, M.Ed.

Appendix
Because we….: – A Statement on NO! by the UBUNTU Education Working Group
Taking Action
Media and Sexual Violence
Group Activities
National Rape and Sexual Assault Resources
Rape and Sexual Assault Organizations by State
Recommended Reading
Learn More about the Individuals in the Film
Film Credits
Biographies of Contributors to the Study Guide
Acknowledgements
Notes
Study Guide Back Cover

Download Section I
Study Guide Front Cover
Copyright page
Dedication page
Purpose of guide
Table of contents
Producer/Director’s Statement – Aishah Shahidah Simmons
Synopsis of NO!
Creating a Safe Space for Discussion
Glossary of Terms
Key Myths and Facts

Download Section II
(DVD) Chapter Guides
1. Introduction and Devastation of Date Rape
Salamishah Tillet’s Testimony
Acquaintance Rape and Consent

2. Weapon of History
Slavery
Lynching
Great Migration

3. Survivors Silenced
Reanae McNeal’s Testimony
Campus Safety
Racial Solidarity

4. Civil Rights and Wrongs
Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons’s Testimony
Sexual Harassment and Assault in the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements
Black Power and Sexual Assault
Black Lesbians and Activism Against Sexual Assault (Queen’s Testimony)
Black Women Writers and Sexual Assault

Download Section III
(DVD) Chapter Guides
5. Raping the Next Generation
Rosetta Williams’ Testimony
Date Rape and Prevention
Adolescent Sexual Abuse and Prevention
Incest

Graphic Design by:

Kavita Rajanna  

NO! Logo Design by:

Traci McKindra  

Funded by The Ford Foundation

Created by:
Salamishah Tillet, Ph.D.
and Rachel Afi Quinn, Ph.D.

With the Creative and Editorial Direction of: 

Aishah Shahidah Simmons
Producer, Writer, and Director of NO! The Rape Documentary

Contributing Essayists:

Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons, Ph.D.,

Tamara L. Xavier, M.Ed., Ph.D.