Healing and accountability took center stage at our RISE team's Domestic Violence Awareness Month rally and resource fair in Harlem.
Healing and accountability took center stage this week as our RISE Project closed out Domestic Violence Awareness Month with an annual rally and resource fair outside the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building in Harlem.
Alongside partners, survivors, and advocates from Sisters in Purple, the Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, New York City's Crisis Management System, and other nonprofits and community organizations, the team issued a timely call for communities to unite against the intersecting harms of intimate partner violence and gun violence.
The central theme of the rally was "Healing Together"—a powerful reminder that domestic violence isn't just a personal issue, but a community-wide one. That's one of the core lessons our RISE team takes with them across New York City as they work to change norms surrounding violence and cultivate healthier ways of thinking and being in intimate relationships.
"Standing with survivors means investing in solutions that create multiple pathways to safety," said Heaven Berhane, who leads the RISE Project. "Safety means ensuring housing for survivors, providing vital resources for them and their children, and recognizing that safety is a fundamental right."
That work, in turn, takes an all-hands-on-deck approach that brings everyone to the table, from government to community members and everyone in between. "The collective work of the organizations gathered here today—community-based organizations, crisis management systems, government agencies and the larger community—reflects a collaborative effort to foster a healthy ecosystem and strengthen our communities and agencies to combat domestic violence," said Berhane.
The event featured powerful stories from survivors, who spoke to their experiences with domestic violence and what it takes to build a future without it.
"As a survivor-led organization, Sisters In Purple believes that domestic violence is a public health crisis that must be addressed as such," said Angelina Rosado, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Sisters In Purple and a survivor of intimate partner violence. "Help starts without judgment. Don’t ask them why they stayed; ask them how they survived."
Advocates from CONNECT, a violence prevention and gender justice organization, took the stage to address the importance of engaging people who cause harm in their relationships and promoting real accountability. As Executive Director Quentin Walcott puts it, "This is not just a women's issue but a human one, involving all of us—especially those causing harm."
As they heard stories from survivors and advocates, attendees enjoyed free food, massages, and resources for those experiencing—or contributing to—harmful relationship dynamics. Only with collective action and transformative forms of accountability can we support better futures for survivors, those causing harm, and our communities.