Shatter the Silence is an event being held 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, in Bryant Denny Stadium North Zone. The event is being hosted by Miss University of Alabama 2014 Danielle DuBose and the American Association of University Women.
DuBose said she hopes to start a dialogue about abusive relationships, which she said have become a widespread problem but are rarely discussed or recognized.
Students who attend will hear the story of keynote speaker Sharon Love. Love is the mother of Yeardley Love, who attended the University of Virginia and lost her life at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. Since her daughter’s death, Love has teamed up with the One Love Foundation to honor her memory. Love travels across the U.S. sharing her daughter’s story, trying to educate young women of the warning signs that may have helped save her daughter.
There will be a panel of women on the topic including Maury Holliman, Women’s Resource Center Student Leadership Council coordinator; Kathy Echols, Women’s Resource Center staff therapist; Tanya Cooper, University of Alabama Law professor and intimate partner violence researcher; Tyrone White, motivational speaker; and Vonda Collins, UAPD officer.
“One of the goals of Shatter the Silence is to provide support and resources for those who attend that may be currently experiencing an abusive relationship,” DuBose said. “We will share the counseling and advocacy services that the Women’s Resource Center provides on campus, as well as resources available through the One Love Foundation. Most importantly, Shatter the Silence will show victims that they aren’t alone and there is a community of advocates who want to support them.”
Shatter the Silence is open to everyone, not just women who are suffering or have suffered an abusive dating relationship.
“My biggest piece of advice to victims of dating violence is to start working on not blaming yourself. It is never the victim’s fault,” Echols said. “The first step to recovery is talking to someone you feel safe with and that’s what the resource center has to offer.”
The Women’s Resource Center allows walk-ins Monday through Friday from 8 a.m to 5 p.m. and has a 24-hour crisis hotline that can be accessed through UAPD. The resource center is located on Jackson Avenue in the South Lawn Office Building, Suite 2000 and is free and confidential.
