The One Billion Rising Movement: Demanding An End To Violence Against Women

 

Can you imagine someone you love—someone you believed that you could trust and with whom you felt safe—wrestling you to the ground and placing a loaded and cocked gun to your head, forcing themselves upon you and violating your body with the threat of pulling the trigger if you so much as whisper the slightest sound? It can be a very scary and extremely traumatizing situation to be in.

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I am not speaking in the hypothetical. I am speaking from experience. The situation above happened to me many years ago.

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That occurrence of violence against me is the reason why I am Rising.

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This year I am joining the One Billion Rising movement to help raise a higher awareness to the increasing problem of violence against women.

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Rape, sodomy, incest, molestation, and physical abuse are not viewer-gaining plots for TV shows and movies. They are not “fluff stories” for news segments. They are not ‘creative concepts’ to toy with or insinuate in tasteless media ads. They are not “the norm,” or sexy, or even cute.

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Violence against women is SERIOUS.

Violence against women is REAL.

Violence against women HURTS.

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“One In Three Women On The Planet Will Be Raped Or Beaten In Her Lifetime.”  —onebillionrising.org

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It is not a problem that affects only a certain race, color, creed, religion, or social class. It affects everyone, whether directly or indirectly—even those who you would have never suspected.

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We are now in an era where women who have experienced violence do not have to suffer in silence. And we are so strong and are such a powerful force that we can now stop the violence before it even begins.

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We do it by becoming empowered and taking a stand. We do it by Rising up and taking action to strike against it. We do it by calling upon our communities: our Greek organizations, religious and social groups, co-workers and colleagues, school mates, and even our families, friends, and neighbors. By joining together, we can organize to fight to change laws, raise much-needed funds for women programs, and even raise awareness and promote education of violence against women in our neighborhoods.

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There should never have to be another woman forced to endure the physical, mental, and emotional pain of violence at the hand of another. I ask you to join me on February 14^th as part of the One Billion Rising movement, and take action in your community to demand an end to violence against women. When standing alone we can only accomplish so much, but united together we can make a difference.

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V-Day for One Billion Rising is February 14. Here’s what you can do in the upcoming weeks to support the movement:

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• Organize an event to support V-Day/One Billion Rising in your area

• Find a V-Day/One Billion Rising event near you to participate

• Spread the word: Talk to everyone you know about the One Billion Rising movement
• If you are a student, suggest to your teacher(s) in the weeks leading up to One Billion Rising that she or he integrate the topic into curriculum.
• If you are a worker, suggest to management to create a performance incentive focused around One Billion Rising, or make it a topic of discussion during work group meetings.
• Share your story: create a video and share it on the One Billion Rising YouTube Channel- use your voice to help others.
• Organize a flash mob or group dance event to do the One Billion Rising “Break the Chain” dance. (you can learn the dance with lessons from legendary choreographer Debbie Allen >>here<< and watch the video for the dance and listen to the anthem >>here<<)
• Join the V-Day online wall
• Purchase merchandise from the One Billion Rising online store to wear proudly and spark conversation about the movement
• Donate (all donations are tax-deductible)

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To learn more information about One Billion Rising and ways you can join the movement:

• Visit the One Billion Rising website to learn other ways to Rise on February 14^th
• Visit the V-Day website to learn more about the movement and its various programs
• Connect with One Billion Rising on Facebook and Twitter
• Subscribe to the One Billion Rising YouTube channel: share your own personal story and stay updated on their fight to end violence against women
• Follow One Billion Rising on Tumblr for the latest news articles and information

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