GCADV Speaks at Tyler Perry's "For Colored Girls" Film Premier
GCADV Community Resource Coordinator Shenna Johnson (pictured far-right) urged movie-goers to get involved with helping to end domestic violence at an Atlanta premier of Tyler Perry's film, "For Colored Girls."
Reaching an audience of over 200 people, Shenna shared a chilling statement that centered on the movie's theme, "At this moment Georgia ranks 10th in the nation for men murdering women in the annual study done by the Violence Policy Center. Black women in Georgia are murdered twice as often as white women even though blacks only make up 1/3 of the population, the study
shows. I would like to remind you that you do not sit here at this moment by chance or coincidence. You do not sit here merely to enjoy another night of entertainment, you sit here because you as a member of the community in Georgia have a remarkable opportunity and a place in this movement to create change, impact lives, and end violence against women. Don’t wait until it’s too late," Shenna said.
GCADV Finance Director Penny Rosenfield (pictured second from left) commented on the night, "What a great experience! The movie was truly moving – I would recommend everyone goes and sees it. What was even more impressive are all the people who came out to support this cause. Everyone wanted to know more about GCADV and what we do. I am looking forward to the next premier and the people I will meet!"
GCADV would like to thank event organizers Terry Moorer, Patrick Jones, and Arit Essien for inviting us to this event.
Chri$tyle and GCADV - Be the Voice Campaign
Atlanta native, domestic violence childhood survivor and award-winning singer/songwriter, Cri$tyle is launching the "BE THE VOICE," campaign and public service announcement (PSA) in collaboration with GCADV in early December. Cri$tyle is the songwriter of Rhianna's #1 single "Only Girl," and "Love All Over Me", #1 song for R&B artist Monica. Her discography boasts #1 records for Mariah Carey along with collaborations with Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and many, many more. Cri$tyle began her professional career by signing to music legend Jermaine Durpri as a songwriter two years ago.
After accumulating so much success as a songwriter, Cri$tyle signed an artist deal with Blackground/Interscope. She is looking forward to releasing her first single and her debut project in 2011. After working with Mariah on her E=MC2 album two years ago, Mariah Carey described Cri$tyle in one word..."phenomenal." GCADV staff definitely agree. She is an amazing talent and a beautiful inspiration, and we applaud her desire to encourage the community to, "BE THE VOICE," that so many victims of domestic violence need in their lives.
GCADV would like to thank Cri$tyle and her team, especially Christal Jordan of Enchanted PR and Ron "Tricky" Montgomery of Tricky Bizness, for their efforts to help GCADV and Cri$tyle raise awareness through this PSA about how we can all, "BE THE VOICE," for victims of domestic violence in our community. Look for the PSA on our website after the launch!
GCADV Celebrates the Membersite Launch!
It is such a great time to be a GCADV Member Program with the launch of our new members-only website. Introduced at the November 17th GCADV Membership Meeting, the GCADV Membersite currently features five distinct benefits to GCADV Member Programs and their staff.
- A blog-style feed that updates members with GCADV Informational e-Blasts as they occur. Plus, it archives the information for later searches without clogging their inbox.
- A Facebook-style activity page where members can provide status updates, change their profiles and see what others are doing around the state.
- A personal profile page where members can choose to post their experiences and expertise for others to view.
- A group page where members can create open, semi-private or private conversations with others that are working towards a common group goal.
- A resources page where members can download GCADV's resources, tools and training supplies or upload their own resources to share with sister members.
Each member program, their staff and volunteers are eligible to use this fantastic resource. If you are a GCADV Member Program Executive Director, simply look inside your membership packet for your personalized usename and passord. If you are a staff person or volunteer for a GCADV member program, click here to register.
Women of Color Network Train GCADV Staff
The national domestic violence technical assistance agency, Women of Color Network (WOCN), offered three days of intense training and collaboration with GCADV staff to address issues of race and privilege that affect our staff, coalition, survivors and advocates. Throughout the training, GCADV staff considered the history of Georgia and our coalition to better understand the root causes of racism and the ways in which it influences policy, the day-to-day issues that women of color advocates and survivors face and reasons why we must address this in Georgia.
As leaders in Georgia, GCADV is working to involve communities of color and promote leadership of women of color so that we can work together to address the root causes of domestic violence in ALL communities across the state.
GCADV Executive Director Nicole Lesser said of the WOCN training, "On a micro level, this training was both eye opening and healing for us as a staff, but I really hope it will not stop there. In a state where African-American women are so disproportionally victims of domestic violence homicide, we must take a look as domestic violence service providers to see what we can do to better meet this community’s needs. I have made a commitment to do this, both personally and as an agency, and I hope that our member programs and allied organizations will join us."
“I am so excited that GCADV brought the WOCN and associates in to work with our staff. We are dedicated to weaving the fiber of the work and the messages that Tonya, Sumayya, Tony and Jane brought with them into our culture here and I know it will enrich what we do both at GCADV and throughout the state. I am personally going to aspire to be a true ally to women of color by helping to sew that common thread of anti-racism and inclusion throughout GCADV," added GCADV Associate Director Jan Christiansen.
What did other staff have to say about the training? Click here to read more.
GCADV Participates in KPMG Panel Discussion
GCADV Executive Director Nicole Lesser teamed up with other Georgia domestic violence experts in a panel discussion provided to over fifty of Atlanta’s KPMG employees during October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month. One of the common misconceptions about domestic violence is that it is an anger management issue, but in reality, domestic violence is a problem of wanting to gain power and control over an intimate partner. Generally, the more a victim tries to leave the more dangerous it becomes because of the abuser's loss of power and control.
"I was really impressed with KPMG for setting aside time in the work day to examine this issue, which affects victims in the workplace every day. The staff members were incredibly engaged and looking for ways to get involved. I cannot thank Heidi Day, from member program Chayil, enough for including us in this fabulous event," shared Nicole.
Another GCADV attendee, Director of Finance Penny Rosenfield explained, “I am so glad we could share with a workplace audience the importance of realizing the signs of domestic violence in a coworker. If someone is missing a lot of work, making excuses for their spouse or receiving a lot of personal calls from their partner, it could be a sign of domestic violence at work. As employers, we need to be aware of these signs and make sure that we tell our employees, ‘It’s okay, we can get you connected to services that can keep you safer.'"
If you think you or someone you know may be experiencing abuse, call our 24-hour statewide domestic violence hotline, 1.800.33.HAVEN. GCADV would like to thank KPMG for their support of this issue and looks forward to partnering with additional companies through our workplace initiative in the future.
At Thanksgiving, A Note From GCADV Executive Director
Over the last year, I have had the incredible honor of visiting with and touring 28 shelter and community-based programs around the state. From Hinesville and Jesup, to Fayetteville and Morrow, and all the way up to Blairsville, domestic violence service providers have taken the time to proudly tell me about their programs and share with me their struggles as they desperately try to meet the ever growing needs of domestic violence survivors with increasingly less resources.
On behalf of survivors around the state I want to thank these programs for their ingenuity and intense dedication. I have been astounded by the creative ways that staff have collaborated with the community resources in their areas to meet the needs. Never has a group of people been so good at getting services, materials and even buildings donated so that their work can continue and even grow.
While we are a large state with diverse needs, similar themes have emerged from these conversations. Whether in rural or urban areas, whether shelter or community based, north or south, programs have more in common than they do differences.
The difficult economy has brought new challenges for all programs. I am often asked by the media if there are more people being abused. Statistics and anecdotal stories do not show this to be true. What we are seeing is that the needs of victims are deeper, vaster.
Stable housing is dependant on job availability and without jobs, shelter stays are significantly longer or victims are staying in dangerous situations wtih their abusers because the have no other options. The people coming to our programs have intense needs beyond the basics of domestic violence intervention services. Many have been homeless for some time; others have substance abuse and other mental health issues; for others, language barriers and other cultural issues present specific accessibility challenges to receiving services.
One of the roles of GCADV is to be a resource for programs and to support them in their building increased capacity for meeting the challenges of this work. Click here to learn about some of the things GCADV is doing to assist programs.
GCADV Thanks Graduate Intern Christina Bailey
GCADV would like to thank Christina Miracle Bailey for her unique set of skills and expertise that she provided as a graduate library science intern. Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Chrisina received her Bachelors degree at the University of West Georgia then continued her studies earning a Masters Degree in Library Science from the University of North Texas (UNT).
Her area of expertise is Special Libraries, and she gained extensive knowledge in this topic from the Emory/UNT program for Librarians in the 21st Century while completing her studies. As a result, she pursued an internship with GCADV where she has organized our unique and comprehensive collection of domestic violence books, videos and research.
Additionally, she interned two semesters at CNN's (Cable News Network) library and currently works full-time for Turner Broadcasting System. Christina is involved in SLA (Special Library Association) and Turner Women Today. We are grateful for her positive spirit and the lending library resources that she will help us provide to our member programs. If you are a GCADV Member Program and would like to review the 1,400 items available in our lending library, please login to the GCADV members-only website.
2nd Annual Staff Self Care Costume Party
While rewarding, working in the movement to help end domestic violence can be intense work. GCADV staff try to eliminate burnout and compassion fatigue by breaking loose and having a bit of fun during our annual costume party and potluck lunch. This year, staff chose costumes with "this and that," retro 70's and 80's looks, adventurers and others! It's hard taking colleagues in costumes seriously so we had a day full of stress relieving laughter. What does your domestic violence program do to alleviate stress and reduce rates of burnout? The first member program to get on the
members-only site to let us know how your program makes self care a priority will win a fabulous self-care prize!
Click here if you belong to a member program and you have not yet registered.
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