Did you know that one in three women, around the world, have
been beaten or raped? Look around at
everyone in this room. Now, imagine that
we are all women and that one in three of us have been abused. That’s a lot of
us! On a worldwide basis that ratio
translates to 1 billion women, according to Eve Ensler, playwright and founder
of V-Day.
Eve Ensler is well known for writing the play, “Vagina Monologues”.
The first showing of this was in 1994. It is a series of monologues delivered
by different women, who discuss feminine issues ranging from sex, love, rape,
genital mutilation, menstruation, etc.
Every year, a new issue is added.
For 5 consecutive years, this play ran Off-Broadway and then toured throughout
the U.S. Upon viewing this controversial, eye-opening, body of work, many women,
who had been abused and unable to talk candidly about their issues opened up. Women
contacted Ms. Ensler in droves, to share their experiences. These women
inspired her to create the V-Day project.
The V-Day project takes place annually, across the globe. “The 'V' in V-Day stands for Victory,
Valentine and Vagina,” according to vday.org. In the months of February
through April, communities organize events that increase awareness and raise
money for organizations that help women and men, who have been victims of rape,
domestic violence, and other traumatic atrocities. Many of the events include
Ensler’s signature play “Vagina Monologues,” documentaries such as “Until the
Violence Stops,” PBS’s “What I Want My Words To Do To You,” educational
workshops for young men, etc. V-Day began in 1998 and has ballooned to over 5800
events, worldwide. This year marks their 15th anniversary.
To commemorate this, Eve Ensler came up with One Billion
Rising, which takes place on Valentine’s Day. Part of the inspiration for this
was a controversial comment made by Senator Todd Akin, where he mentioned that women
rarely get pregnant from “legitimate rape.” Outraged, she wrote a letter to him
in defense of all of those, who have been raped and explained that a woman’s
body does not reject sperm, simply because it’s been violated. This letter was
published in the Huffington Post. What took place soon after was an organized
effort to create a new movement to protest abuses and to promote justice and
gender equality for women, worldwide. This movement, “One Billion Rising,”
is a reference to the 1 billion females, who will be “beaten or raped” in their
life time. One Billion Rising is a call for “women around the world and the
men that care for them to join together to dance in a show of collective
strength.”
Locally, Fort Wayne contributed to this movement at Parkview
Stadium. We were part of 180 participating countries. Volunteer dancers were
assembled. Media attention was given. Helpers spread the word. A blog was maintained on onebillionrisingfw’s
website. Pictures were posted on
Facebook and Twitter. Several of them
showed individuals holding signs as to why they were rising. One such example stated, “My reason to
rise: So victims know they don’t stand
alone.” Leading up to the event was a flash mob at One Summit Square. Thanks to the efforts of Lori Block Keyes,
Exec Director of FW Trails, who spearheaded this project, over 20 organizations
were involved and many volunteers. Nearly 600 people came to the event. Terra
Brantley emceed and was accompanied by Mayor Tom Henry, the Bad Apple Dancers,
and the OBR dancers, who lead the crowd to demonstrate their solidarity.
All in all, it was an awesome way to “come together to show
that our community is serious about not tolerating”abuse and taking a stand
against it. Next year’s event will be on
Valentine’s Day at noon at Parkview Field. So mark your calendars! Stand up in solidarity and join the international,
dance movement to rise and stand up against violence for someone you care
about!
