Awareness Blog

This week, guest blogger Ashleigh Klein-Jimenez from PreventConnect offers an expansive way of understanding prevention and its interconnectedness with healing, noting that healing is the foundation for collective liberation. She shares her lightbulb moment in making this connection, and reflects on how healing practices are essential for violence prevention since they help create the conditions where people can thrive.

This week, we welcome guest blogger Victoria Ferguson-Young from National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life, who reflects on what it means and why it’s so important to center older adults in our work to address and prevent gender-based violence. Victoria calls on all of us to engage in advocacy is not just broad, but also deep. She reflects on how we can achieve safety, respect, and dignity for people of all ages when we center the needs and experiences of older adults.

As we close out the observance and celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month on October 15th, we call attention to its overlap with Domestic Violence Awareness Month, especially as it relates to our call for No Survivor Justice Without Racial Justice. In this week’s post, guest blogger Aida Negrón from Esperanza United reflects on what healing means for Latin@ communities and how to overcome cultural and systemic barriers to healing.

We are pleased to introduce the Heal, Hold & Center Guest Blog Series for Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2024. This post, written by Torrie Bethany from the National Domestic Violence Hotline, is the first of four weekly posts featuring guest authors from the Domestic Violence Awareness Project Advisory Group. In it, Torrie explores each of the core concepts from this year’s theme – Heal, Hold & Center – and offers guidance for operationalizing them in our collective work to end and prevent gender-based violence.

In recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month this April, we’re excited to uplift the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s theme for SAAM 2024, Building Connected Communities. This blog post highlights new resources and activities for SAAM 2024.

February is both Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM) and Black History Month (BHM). This month and always, we’re uplifting the connections between preventing relationship violence and honoring Black history, as we center the wisdom, vision, and leadership of Black youth in our work today.

As we enter into Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), the Domestic Violence Awareness Project calls on us to Heal, Hold & Center survivors, especially those navigating anti-Blackness and other systems of oppression, throughout DVAM and beyond.

“We dream of a world where health equity is a reality for Black women and girls. And we can create that world when we center those most impacted in our violence prevention work.” – Patty Branco

In recognition of both Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) from April 11-17 and Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) throughout the month of April, NRCDV is centering the connections between maternal health, sexual violence, and health equity.

February is both Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month (TDVAM) and Black History Month. This year, the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) is honored to partner with and amplify the voices of Black youth leaders throughout the month of February and beyond. 

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“Cultivating joy, always a clear path towards liberation.” – Patty Branco, NRCDV

During Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) and beyond, we are committed to promoting the alignment of our values with our actions as we navigate intersecting realities, grounded in our shared commitment to no survivor justice without racial justice. In order to end domestic violence and create safe and thriving communities for all, we must dismantle anti-Blackness and center humanity, wellness, joy, and connectedness for advocates, survivors, and all who work alongside us towards collective liberation.