WHO WE ARE
ValorUS® (VALOR) was founded in 1980 and originally known as the California State Coalition of Rape Crisis Centers with the purpose of igniting the collective power of grassroots activists and survivors of sexual violence across the state. At this time, the issues of rape and sexual abuse received little public attention and the rape crisis centers that organized themselves to serve their communities were entirely volunteer-run.As knowledge and awareness of the prevalence of sexual violence and the social inequities that perpetuate it grew, policymakers began to take notice. Policymaker action resulted in the passage of the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 1994, leading to the critical expansion of government funding for programs working to end gender-based violence across the nation.
By 1997, the California State Coalition of Rape Crisis Centers became the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) – a powerful voice for the state’s critical safety net protecting survivors and providing leadership, vision, and resources to anyone dedicated to ending sexual assault.
CALCASA grew to be a force across California and became a national leader in the movement to prevent and end sexual violence by training women of color to lead the movement, focusing trainings on college campuses and in the disability community, and on ending tech abuse. In 2004, CALCASA established PreventConnect, the largest online learning platform for gender-based violence practitioners to share and learn about primary prevention. CALCASA also partnered with other national leaders to co-host the National Sexual Assault Conference®, the largest professional conference in the U.S. for the anti-sexual violence movement, and created RALIANCE, a national partnership that provides expertise and solutions to create equitable, respectful, and safe environments in for-profit workplaces and across all business operations. In 2013, CALCASA founded the Leadership Education and Advancement for Professionals (LEAP), a national initiative by VALOR designed to elevate the professional skills of people of color aiming for executive leadership roles in the anti-gender-based violence field.
In late 2017, the #MeToo movement gained widespread recognition, leading to an international call to change schools, workplaces, institutions, and society to uproot a culture of sexual violence. CALCASA answered by reinforcing our work to advocate on behalf of survivors and the need to lead with prevention.
In 2020, amidst the global public health crisis of COVID-19 that upended life across the world, the time was right for CALCASA to fully embrace the next generation of our work with a bold new identity that matched our bold vision for transforming society.
In 2021, we became VALOR. Our name, VALOR, epitomizes the strength and power of the movement. The courage and resilience of survivors inspire us, and we assert the forward-thinking attitude that defines our diverse and dynamic work. In this new era, VALOR builds on its history and fearlessly embarks on a new, but familiar, journey of advancing equity and ending sexual violence.
We continue to pursue our vision of a world free from sexual violence by pushing ourselves to center the voices of survivors and to uplift those who are working within their communities and cultures to create positive change. By expanding VALOR’s awareness of the intersections of sexual violence and societal inequities, our goal is to continue to include new perspectives and communities in conversation to create a safer, healthier world.
We continue to pursue our vision of a world free from sexual violence by pushing ourselves and our networks to center the voices of survivors and uplift others who are working within their communities and cultures to create positive change.
Our name, VALOR, epitomizes the strength and courage needed to end sexual violence.
We are bold. We are fearless. We are VALOR.
