Let the Sunshine In The 2022 NO MORE Pledge event looked a little different than in years past. In-person, in color, and at the kickoff of the Three Rivers Arts Festival, it was an energizing way to engage the community in this year’s campaign. This truly new and unique event focused on ways that we can all commit to ending domestic and sexual violence and centered around the unveiling of an interactive art installation that asks Arts Festival attendees to think about the health of their relationships and those of their friends and loved ones. Kevin Wilkes, Chief Security Officer of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, …
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Reseating The Origin Story: The Black Founders of the Anti-Violence Movement On May 26th, Southwest PA Says NO MORE celebrated our 2022 annual meeting with a keynote: The Black Founders of the Anti-Violence Movement. Kristy Trautmann, Executive Director of FISA Foundation, opened the meeting by acknowledging the ongoing violence in America, recent hate-based crimes born out of systemic racism, and the 2nd anniversary of George Floyd’s death and thanked the over 100 attendees for their work to bring justice, equity, and inclusion to the world. Because anti-violence work is a community effort, she opened the floor to participants and asked: What have you learned in …
To kick off International NO MORE week, 60 corporate, civic, and community leaders convened for the annual Leadership Breakfast to Prevent Domestic Violence. The event was hosted by United Way of Southwestern PA, Southwest PA Says NO MORE, STANDING FIRM, and the FISA Foundation. This year’s event, held at the Benedum Center, was a beautiful venue for leaders to convene once again in person. The speakers discussed the role of a workplace in recognizing, supporting, and intervening on behalf of survivors of domestic violence. Set against the backdrop of the current tenant of the Benedum, Hamilton: An American Musical, a repeat refrain was best expressed …
Comments Off on WTAE Helps Raise Awareness about Domestic Abuse and its Workplace Impact
“One in four women report being abused in their lifetime, and they often carry the stress of that with them to work.” Earlier this month, local WTAE news anchor, Shannon Perrine, interviewed President and CEO Bobbi Watt Geer of United Way of Southwestern PA along with a survivor of domestic violence, and Kevin Wilkes, Chief Security Officer for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The interview highlighted the important ways in which employers can make an impact on the issue of domestic abuse. STANDING FIRM, a SWPA Says NO MORE partner, teaches employers how to recognize, respond and refer when they see signs of abuse. One way …
Comments Off on Webinar Recap: Transformative Justice in the Lives of Survivors with Disabilities
The Transformative Justice in the Lives of Survivors with Disabilities Webinar was held on November 18, 2021. This was the last session in a three-part webinar series in partnership with the Vera Institute of Justice, a national organization with expertise in addressing the disproportionate rates of abuse and violence against people with disabilities. With high rates of victimization and incarceration, people with disabilities have an elevated likelihood of having contact with the criminal legal system. This contact can be deadly, with 50% of people killed by police in the United States having a disability. This long history of being harmed by the state-sponsored justice system has …
Comments Off on Webinar Recap: From Classroom to Dorm Room: Serving Survivors with Disabilities on Campus
From Classroom to Dorm Room: Serving Survivors with Disabilities on Campus was the second session in a three-part webinar series in partnership with the Vera Institute of Justice, a national organization with expertise in addressing the disproportionate rates of abuse and violence against people with disabilities. The session explored barriers to serving college students with disabilities who experience sexual assault or abuse and also provided solutions to address these challenges. Panelists included Kaitlin Shetler, Vera Institute of Justice; Maria Cristina Pacheco, National Organization for Victim Assistance; and Wanda Swan, Founder and Executive Director of the Swan Center for Advocacy and Research, Inc. This webinar was intended …
Comments Off on Webinar Recap: Meeting the Needs of Human Trafficking Victims with Disabilities
Meeting the needs of human trafficking victims with disabilities was the first session in a three-part webinar series in partnership with the Vera Institute of Justice, a national organization with expertise in addressing the disproportionate rates of abuse and violence against people with disabilities. The panelists included Olga Trujillo, Vera Institute of Justice; Justine Shorter, National Disability Rights Network, and Erika Reil, Vermont Center for Independent Living. On September 28, 2021 Sandra Harrell of the Vera Institute of Justice facilitated the session. Sandra has been working at the intersection of disability & gender-based violence for over 15 years. In 2017, she joined the National Human …
Comments Off on Southwest Pa Says No More launches “Dear Men” video series at 8th annual Father’s Day Pledge
Southwest PA Says No More has launched “Dear Men,” a new video series that addresses the role men play in preventing domestic violence and sexual assault and harassment – a serious issue that affects up to one in three women and many men. The series is the centerpiece of Father’s Day Pledge 2021, an annual observance where area business leaders, public officials, and community members speak out against gender violence. The ceremony was held virtually for the first time in its eighth year on June 15, 2021. “The Father’s Day Pledge is an opportunity for more men to get involved in breaking the cycles of violence …
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Every woman has a story. Every man has a choice. Eight years ago, Southwest Pa Says No More started a tradition: business and community members pledged to do their part to end domestic violence and sexual assault. That important work continues. Domestic violence and sexual assault and harassment affect as many as 1 in 3 women; abuse increased during Covid-19. This means that today in our neighborhoods, communities, and workplaces, people are experiencing abuse. It is on all of us to prevent these crimes from happening in the first place. The Father’s Day Pledge is an invitation to men to join others in speaking out …
Comments Off on Would you pledge to change someone’s life?
Every year, Southwest PA Says No More asks men across the region to take a stand against violence, to support survivors, and to serve as a role model to help young people learn about healthy and respectful relationships. This year, we’re taking a new approach. Check back and see what it means to local men to find out that they had changed someone’s life, or that they had the opportunity to make a life-changing difference and they passed it up. Our words and our actions matter. Check back for more details about the Father’s Day Pledge, 2021!
Comments Off on Whose Business Is it? Engaging Employers in Addressing Domestic Violence
Southwest PA Says No More and the NO MORE campaign are teaming up to offer a free webinar on building partnerships with companies to address and prevent domestic violence and sexual assault. May 19, 2021; 1-2:30ET. Register here! Effective prevention efforts require advocates to build partnerships and engagement across sectors, including with corporations and community leaders. Many domestic violence and rape crisis programs have developed partnerships with individual companies, but Southwest PA Says No More has refined a model for community-level engagement of the corporate sector. This webinar will share lessons learned on how to invite corporate leaders to leverage their influence as employers to …
Comments Off on Local leaders say NO MORE during Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Over the last 6 years, Southwest PA Says No More has built a coalition of employers working to address domestic violence as a workplace and workforce issue. This issue is particularly important now, during the pandemic, while domestic violence rates are high as abusive partners take advantage of social distancing to increase violence at home. We’re so proud of the many corporate and community leaders who pledge to end domestic violence and sexual assault. All of these leaders are a part of STANDING FIRM and have take action to change policies and train employees at their companies to recognize, respond, and refer victims of domestic violence …
Comments Off on October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Help spread the word. Domestic violence was already an epidemic before Covid-19, but the health crisis has caused a tremendous spike in incidents of abuse. Even as lockdown restrictions are lifted, the abuse will not simply end. It remains a critical time for survivors, and greater awareness, education, and bystander intervention are desperately needed. Join us in activating bystanders and sharing information that can help those who are experiencing violence during this unprecedented time. Together, we can help our friends, neighbors, and communities by #ListeningFromHome. Learn more at: https://nomore.org/campaigns/dvam/
Comments Off on She Matters Series Now On Demand: Protecting & Uplifting Black Girls
Southwest PA Says No More partnered with Gwen’s Girls and the Black Girls Equity Alliance in sponsoring the She Matters webinar series to center the experiences of Black girls and to examine our responsibility to protect them from harm and to promote culturally relevant, trauma-informed supports for healing and wholeness. We believe that when Black and gender-nonconforming youth are safe, supported, and nurtured, we will have created a community where everyone can thrive. The four-part She Matters webinar series is available on-demand on YouTube. SHE MATTERS WEBINAR SERIES: PROTECTING & UPLIFTING THE WELL-BEING OF BLACK GIRLS Black Girls and Gender-Based Violence What Does Black Lives Matter …
Comments Off on She Matters webinar: Black Girls and Gender-Based Violence – September 10, 2020
Southwest PA Says No More is proud to be a partner of Gwen’s Girls and the Black Girls Equity Alliance in sponsoring the She Matters webinar series. The next webinar will explore the most prevalent forms of gender-based violence experienced by Black girls in Pittsburgh and highlight community-based interventions. Commercial sexual exploitation, dating violence and missing youth will be explored during the discussion. Hear from advocates about the early warning signs of gender-based violence and the resources needed to end the abuse to prison pipeline experienced by far too many Black girls. She Matters Webinar Series: Protecting & Uplifting the Well-Being of Black Girls She Matters: Black …
Comments Off on Stand Up for Standing Firm 2020 Virtual Awards Luncheon – October 8, 2020
STANDING FIRM is partnering with Southwest PA Says No More and United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania to invite past participants of the annual Father’s Day Pledge, and all interested employers to join the western PA employer community in a virtual “Pledge against Violence” during STANDING FIRM’s Awards Event, Stand Up for Standing Firm. View the video. The virtual awards luncheon will bring leaders of the business community together to affirm their commitment to address partner violence in the workplace and to support survivors. This year’s keynote speaker, Rachel Louise Snyder is the author of No Visible Bruises, for which she was awarded the 2020 Hillman …
Comments Off on Presenting Jodi Kantor, Pulitzer prize-winning author of She Said – November 30, 2020
Southwest PA Says No More in partnership with Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures Presents: JODI KANTOR Pulitzer prize-winning journalist who broke the Harvey Weinstein story for The New York Times Monday, November 30, 2020 – 7 p.m. – Carnegie Library Lecture Hall* (Rescheduled event) Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Jodi Kantor will be coming to Pittsburgh with She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement, written with Megan Twohey. The two reporters broke the news of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual harassment and abuse for The New York Times. She Said tells the untold story of their investigation and its consequences for the #MeToo movement. For years, reporters had tried …
Comments Off on Committed to Black Lives Matter, Anti-Racism and Anti-Violence
The Black Lives Matter movement has invited all of us into deeper reflection about racism and white privilege. The national conversation has largely focused on policing, but the reality is that racism and privilege are embedded in all of our systems and institutions, even those created with expressly good intentions like those that support victims of domestic and sexual violence or aim to prevent these crimes. It takes courage and commitment to look at ourselves and our organizations with the intent to learn how the poison of racism lives inside, even when we have the best of intentions to be equitable and inclusive. Futures Without …
Comments Off on She Matters: Protecting & Uplifting the Well-Being of Black Girls – Webinar Series
The Black Lives Matter movement has invited all of us into deeper reflection about the impacts of racism and privilege on us, on our communities, and in our work to end domestic and sexual violence. To be effective, we need to understand and acknowledge the long history of exploitation and violence against Black and brown people, and how systems of racism and oppression continue to shape the experience of Black girls today, increasing their vulnerability to harm and providing fewer options for safety and justice. Southwest PA Says No More is proud to be a partner of Gwen’s Girls and the Black Girls Equity Alliance, …
Comments Off on Southwest Pa Says No More Pittsburgh teams up with the Steelers for Father’s Day Pledge to End Domestic and Sexual Violence
GM & players recite the pledge and say “No More” in Zoom-style video The Pittsburgh Steelers are taking a stand to end violence against women in a new campaign for the 6th annual Father’s Day Pledge. Each year, prominent community members lend their voices to the prevention of domestic and sexual assault in our region. Thanks to a grant awarded by the NFL Foundation, the 2020 Father’s Day Pledge campaign is being observed (virtually) with help from the Steelers. The new video opens with a startling statistic: “Steeler Nation is not just about geography. It’s about values: loyalty, perseverance, doing what is right even when …
