A few weeks ago, I covered my first domestic violence awareness event hosted by Freedom House.
I can honestly say in all my four years of reporting and covering similar awareness events, this was the one that moved me the most.
It’s been a couple of weeks since I was sitting among the crowd inside Nelson Chapel, and I can still feel the powerful aura that hung in the dimly lit sanctuary during the ceremony.
There are still clear visuals in my mind of the creative and compelling artwork made by women and children victims from the area — their messages on display for all to see; and the red silhouetted women and children figures — each one representing a victim who had lost their battle in a domestic violence relationship— lined half of the room.
Before the program began, I watched the faces of those who walked from figure to figure reading each victim’s story on their silhouette. Their expressions were serious and somber in the quiet atmosphere.
Speakers at the event included Freedom House founder Nedda Simon; Freedom House shelter advocate Amber Killian; Marshall County State’s Attorney Paul Bauer; the mother and daughter of Melissa Rice, a Henry women who lost her life last year to domestic violence; and also a women, whose name I’d prefer to leave out of the press for safe measures, shared her experience in being a survivor of a violent relationship. The women had overcome her domestic violence situation after seeking help and protection at Freedom House. Today, she continues on the road to recovery as she is working to build a new life with her children.
Each speech delivered that night left an impression on me. Thinking back, at times I was left staring in awe at what the speakers had to say, which made it hard to keep up with note-taking.
I wish everyone would have had the opportunity to attend this important event. As I tried to explain the feelings and emotions felt during the program to my co-workers the next day, I found it difficult to put together the right words.
The event made me realize how naive I have been about domestic violence. I hear and read those words, but seeing the victims and hearing first-hand the experiences they had gone through to survive and the hardships faced when trying to break away from dangerous situations — It definitely put the topic in a new light for me.
Suddenly, I better understood and sympathized with their reasons of why they couldn’t just walk away from abusive situations. People are often times quick to judge those who stay with an abusive partner, but until they’ve walked in the shoes of the victim, they will never know the true dangers met when trying to escape.
An important message Nedda left us with on Thursday was to start talking about domestic violence.
It rang clear for me when she said, “Violence will last as long as we pretend it’s not our business.”
“We have to acknowledge we have violence in our homes ...” she said.
With October being Domestic Awareness Month, it’s the prefect time to ring the bells, sport a purple awareness ribbon, report possible signs of domestic abuse and be there to help those who are trying to overcome their abusive situations.
We have to spread the stories we know about domestic violence to bring awareness that abuse is wrong and can be deadly if it’s not reported.
Like Nedda said, we have to start making it our business.
Shaw Media Staff Writer Goldie Currie can be reached at gcurrie@bcrnews.com.