To raise awareness around the issue of domestic violence, in October 2011, The Verizon Foundation awarded $105,000 in grants to nine Georgia organizations, including GCADV, to support programs dedicated to educating teens about dating and domestic violence prevention.

“We work very hard to prevent family violence before it happens. Reaching teens, both boys and girls, regarding healthy relationship behavior, signs of abuse and prevention techniques will help improve our state’s families for future generations,”  says Nicole Lesser, Executive Director.

Through this $15,000 grant, GCADV is announcing its new Facebook page and its 2012 Safe Tech & Healthy Relationships Artwork Contest!

GCADV is asking teens to express their ideas on dating violence using graphic software and/or free hand art work and to name a new training to increase awareness and conversation around teen dating violence . Contestants will name and demonstrate through poster design, GCADV’s new Teen Dating Violence Initiative.  Participants will be invited to engage with domestic violence advocates from around the state to share their views, experiences, and opinions on how to decrease teen dating violence and become advocates for a meaningful cause.

For more infomation, visit http://teens.gcadv.org/

See contest Facebook page HERE

For the past 30 years, the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (GCADV) has been Georgia’s leading representative of domestic violence agencies, advocates, allied individuals and survivors throughout the state. GCADV is committed to bringing together member agencies, allied organizations and supportive individuals who are committed to ending domestic violence.

Additionally, GCADV leads advocacy efforts for responsive public policy and fosters quality, comprehensive prevention and intervention services throughout the state.

Each year more than 100 Georgians lose their lives to domestic violence.  Additionally, in 2011, Georgia went from being the10^th to 6^th highest in the nation for its rate of men killing women.  We cannot accept this ranking nor can we continue to allow the casualty count of victims rise.  To overcome these disheartening statistics, GCADV has positioned itself to do more and we need your support to do it. This year, GCADV is committed to expanding its reach by providing more resources for our member programs, having a heightened presence on policy that impacts victims, and generating an increased awareness amongst teens.

For the first time in our 30 year history, we have adopted an agency-wide fund development plan to ensure our programs and services are not only accessible and effective but sustainable. As a part of these efforts we have been granted the opportunity to fundraise through the 2012 Peachtree Road Race. The AJC Peachtree Road Race has distinguished itself as one of the premier Fourth of July traditions in Atlanta. With your donation, the impact of our work in public policy increased training opportunities for domestic violence advocates and overall domestic violence awareness through state-wide media campaigns will mobilize our mission to ensure safety for victims and survivors. Please support GCADV with a donation today by clicking the link below!

http://www.crowdrise.com/TeamGCADV2012/fundraiser/georgiacoalitionagai

Apr 11, 2011

WHAT: Attorney General Sam Olens will speak against domestic violence in Georgia, as the Georgia Commission on Family Violence and the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence host a press conference to release their 7th annual Domestic Violence Fatality Review Report. The report focuses on the gaps in response to domestic violence and ways to prevent future fatalities.

WHEN: 8:30-9:00am, Wednesday, March 23, 2011

WHERE: Georgia State Capitol, South Wing, 206 Washington Street SW, Atlanta, GA

WHO: Attorney General Sam Olens, Judge Peggy Walker, Chair of the Georgia Commission on Family Violence, Nicole Lesser, Executive Director of the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and Frank Mack, domestic violence fatality review chair for Bibb and Houston counties.

WHY: Georgia lost 129 citizens last year to domestic violence. Georgia ranks 10th in the country for its rate at which men kill women in single-victim homicides, most of which are domestic violence murders. Effective work in Georgia has helped to decrease this rate over two times more than the US’s average rate since 2003. However, much work remains to be done: the Report identifies current gaps in the state’s response and offers recommendations for the prevention of these unnecessary tragedies.

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS, at 9:00am.:

• Nicole Lesser, MSW, LCSW, Executive Director, Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence
• Greg Loughlin, Interim Associate Director & Fatality Review Coordinator, Georgia Commission on Family Violence
• Frank Mack, Chair, Macon Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team
• *Attorney General Sam Olens, available for questions during press conference only
• Taylor Tabb, Fatality Review Project Coordinator, Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence
• Judge Peggy Walker, Chair,

Press Contact:
Georgia Commission on Family Violence, Maggie Reeves, Office: 404.463.0350

I first learned about the proverb of Sankofa when I studied abroad in Ghana, West Africa in the Summer of 2007. Sankofa, which literally translates to “go back and take,” is a vital component of Ghanaian culture, emphasizing the importance of learning from the past, especially in an effort to make positive progress for the future. Sankofa is often represented by an Adrinka Symbol, shown here, or depicted as a bird reaching its head backwards.

As an intern at the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence and a fairly new member of the Movement, I have continuously been amazed by the great number of strong, determined advocates who are fighting to end domestic violence in Georgia. I have also continuously been amazed by how advocates against domestic violence still struggle to make domestic violence seen as a public policy priority and a public funding priority.

As much as we struggle today to secure funding for services for victims and raise awareness of the seriousness of domestic violence, I have often wondered how domestic violence advocates from the beginning of the Movement in Georgia were able to accomplish so much. After all, this issue was rarely even talked about in the early 1970s and there were no formal shelters in most states until the early 1980s. Who were these courageous women and men who broke the silence and began the movement to end domestic violence in Georgia? What hurdles did they overcome? How did we get where we are today?

In the spirit of Sankofa, I decided to do some digging around to see what I could find on the issue. Luckily, I was able to uncover some insightful information from the Women’s Collection at the Georgia State University Library, as well as some documents here at the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence. However, because the Movement has been so grassroots in nature, the history of what has been accomplished and how it was accomplished is often best told through personal stories and narratives rather than looking through the limited number of documents that have surfaced over the years.

In honor of Black History Month, I decided to compile some information on the history of women of color within the movement to end domestic violence, both nationally and here in Georgia. Many of you may be able to tell this story more accurately than I can, and for those individuals I hope this brief history provides a moment of remembrance and reflection on the past. For those of us who are new to the Movement or may not be aware of the history of the Movement, I have put together a few key facts on the history of women of color in the Movement in Georgia.

Here’s what I have gathered so far:

Women of color in the Battered Women’s Movement first came together in a collective way in Washington, DC at the first national meeting of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence in February of 1980. At the conference, there was a severe lack of representation of women of color; the trainings, speakers, and workshops were rarely led by women of color and they barely touched on the experiences of women of color within the movement and shelter programs. This extreme sense of invisibility led the women of color at the conference to form the Third World Women Caucus. This caucus made several recommendations to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Their recommendations focused on bridging the information gap through forming alliances with organizations that addressed women of color, increasing sensitivity of women of color and increasing cultural-historical presentations, actively promoting women of color leadership and representation, and the establishment of a collection of anti-racism documents and tools to be used in domestic violence agencies. This caucus also led to the development of The Gathering, the first newsletter focusing on women of color working in the Battered Women’s Movement, published by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (Catlin Fullwood).

In Georgia, the Women of Color Task Force (WOCTF) grew out of an anti-racism training held by the Georgia Network to End Domestic Violence (GCADV’s predecessor) in 1985. At the time, there was limited diversity on shelter staff and boards and the WOCTF was originally comprised of only a handful of women. Their mission was to actively promote the cessation of domestic violence, nurture, strengthen, and empower battered women of color, to increase the involvement and support of communities of color, and work to end the polarization of the shelter movement (GNADV Annual Report 1987-1988). The WOCTF focused on greater participation of women of color and implementing affirmative action policies and developing leadership skills. The WOCTF grew slowly during its first few years, steadily working to become an integral part of the Georgia Network to End Domestic Violence.

Women of color from Georgia went on to lead the Southeastern Regional Conference on Domestic Violence and organized a Women of Color Caucus in 1987. On the last day of the conference in 1987, the caucus became the Southeastern Regional Women of Color Taskforce. The Georgia Network Against Domestic Violence served as the clearinghouse for the Southeastern Women of Color Task Force and assisted in increasing visibility and outreach to communities of color in Georgia. The WOCTF hosted several workshops, trainings and conferences throughout the late 1980’s including, “Battered Women & Battered Women of Color: Where do the differences lie?,” which was keynoted by Loretta Ross in October of 1989 as well as a forum entitled “Domestic Violence in the African-American Community”, identifying women of color working in shelters in Georgia, networking with other women of color in Georgia, the south and nationally (GNADV Annual Report 1987-1988).

Women of color in Georgia have played an integral role in the grassroots efforts of ending domestic violence and actively addressing the racism and oppression many experience in Georgia. Since their creation, the Women of Color Task Forces in Georgia have experienced an unsteady history and currently, there are no active Task Forces in the state. However, GCADV recently met with the National Women of Color Network in an effort to understand the mistakes from the past in order to successfully move forward. From that meeting, there is now great hope of reinstating the Women of Color Task Forces and Caucuses in Georgia in the next few years.

Before my time at GCADV is over in April, I hope to interview willing advocates from the Movement in Georgia to help elaborate and fill in missing pieces of information on the history of how we got to where we are today. I would love to hear from any individuals who may have some more information they would like to add to the history of women of color in Georgia’s domestic violence movement.

Written by Jenny Aszman, GCADV Graduate Intern
Image source: http://knink.com/content/tattoos/adinkra-african-tribal-symbols.htm

Group Tries to Fight Domestic Violence: MyFoxATLANTA.com

http://georgia.healthcharities.org/index.asp?bid=239&story=26

To view the flyer, “Domestic Violence: It’s Your Business,” a joint collaboration between the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Georgia Commission on Family Violence, click here. 

Cri$tyle’s ability to give a “voice” to some of the biggest artists of her lifetime has allowed her to live out her dreams. The singer turned songwriter turned singer once again recently celebrated the biggest coup of her career with Rhianna’s #1 hit single, “Only Girl”. Although the song was Cri$tyle’s fourth #1 single in under three years, the song continues to dominate the charts in numerous countries, solidifying Cri$tyle as one of the most prolific and diverse songwriters of her time.

While penning songs for some of the biggest icons in music proved rewarding, the songwriter from Decatur, GA never lost sight of her dreams of singing her own songs. In the spring of 2010, while doing the usual studio runs with her manager working on placements, Cri$tyle was asked to sing for industry vet Barry Hankerson. Hankerson immediately recognized a certain “spark” in the pretty songwriter with the big vocals and amazing records. Hankerson referred to Cri$tyle as the “missing voice” in music and eagerly began the process to sign her to his Blackground/Interscope imprint. The deal was finalized in October and Cri$tyle began preparing for the release of her first single “Pinch Me Now.”

Following her heart also lead Cri$tyle to link up with the Georgia Coalition for Domestic Violence. The award-winning songwriter partnered with the coalition to launch an educational campaign titled, “Be the Voice.” After experiencing domestic violence in her childhood, Cri$tyle says it was important to use her platform to give back and most importantly to educate others. “Domestic violence is able to continue because it’s something we’re ashamed of and afraid to address. Education is important and I want to be a part of helping children, especially, understand what this issue is so we can stop it. The “Be the Voice” campaign empowers women and children to speak up,” Cri$tyle explains.

The first installment in a series of PSA’s targeting stereotypes and heart-wrenching facts dealing with domestic violence fatalities will be featured on various social media sites online just before the Christmas holiday. The campaign will culminate in a benefit concert for the GCADV in February 2011.

For more information on how you can be involved with BE THE VOICE, or to have it featured on your website, please contact Christal Jordan, Enchanted PR at enchantedpr@gmail.com.