With the issue of domestic violence coming back to the forefront this decade and reaching crisis levels, activists and pundits felt it was high time to get together and create a plan to combat it.
Saturday, Oct. 3, New York’s New Legacy Leaders will partner with Harlem Hospital Center to host an empowerment event that will be free and open to the public just in time for Domenstic Violence Awareness Month. Titled the “New Legacy Leaders Domestic Violence Healing Conference,” the event will be held at the Harlem Hospital Center and cover various topics, including “Rise Victorious: Women Moving Beyond Pain & Fear to Joy and Purpose” and “The Journey From Superman to Human: Men Creating a World Where Girls and Women Are Loved, Valued and Safe.”
One event for teenage attendees is “New York City Healthy Relationship Training Academy for Teens,” sponsored by the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence. NLL co-founders Terrie M. Williams and Madeline McCray will host.
Notable individuals leading workshops, panels and giving speeches include Rosemonde Pierre-Louis, commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence; psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere; civil rights activist and GlobalGrind.com President Michael Skolnik; psychiatrist Dr. Janet Taylor; attorney Charlotte Anderson-Bedford; and Manny Yonko, director of the Family Wellness Center and Children’s Aid Society.
Another notable lending his voice to the cause is “CBS Sports” own James Brown, who, in an online video at NLL’s website, urges people to attend the conference and speaks on the “epidemic of domestic violence.”
Some of the other sponsors of the event include the AmNews, Macy’s, MetroPlus Health, the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, the Terrie Williams Agency and La Maison d’Art.
NLL’s founder spoke on the importance of a conference such as this one. “This conference is geared to be a safe haven for people impacted by all forms of domestic violence and to help educate them about the connection of such abuse with depression and other mental health disorders,” said Williams.
“It’s important for everyone to leave the conference feeling empowered, knowing that healing is possible, and for family, friends and bystanders to understand that they too can help change and save lives,” added McCray. “It truly does take a village to end the cycle of pain and suffering caused by abuse.”
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, a woman is assaulted or beaten every nine seconds in the U.S. One in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have been victims of physical violence at the hands of a partner. On average, more than 20,000 phone calls are placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide. National Coalition Against Domestic Violence also states that 1 in 15 children are exposed to domestic violence.
If you want to register for the conference, you should visit eventbrite.com and use the search term “New Legacy Leaders Domestic Violence Healing Conference.” For a full list of all the workshops and panel discussions, visit NLL’s website.