ALONG COMES MARY

ONE IN THREE WOMEN ON THE PLANET WILL BE RAPED OR BEATEN IN HER LIFETIME.

ONE WOMAN VIOLATED IS AN ATROCITY

ONE BILLION WOMEN DANCING IS A REVOLUTION

This February 14th will mark the 15th annual V Day created by Playwright & The Vagina Monologues founder, Eve Ensler. As an advocate against violence towards women, Eve has devoted her life to getting the word out about the cruelty that women, girls & children go through world-wide. Here are some brutal facts that I would like to share, from One Billion Rising:

“When we started V-Day 14 years ago,” Ensler says, “We had the outrageous idea that we could end violence against women. Since then, hundreds of thousands of V-Day activists in audiences and on stages in over 140 countries have come together to demand an end to violence against women and girls. The funds we’ve raised together have kept organizations’ doors open, and the issue front and center in local media.
But still today, the United Nations states that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime that’s more than one billion women and girls alive today.”

V-Day wants the world to see our collective strength, showing them exactly what one billion looks like.

ONE BILLION RISING is a promise that on February 14th, 2013, we will ensure that millions of women and men rise up around the world to say, “ENOUGH. The violence ends NOW.”

After taking a look on the web-site, it is clear how powerful V Day is & important ending violence is to the world. People are planning amazing flash mobs, protests & performances of The Vagina Monologues. You can simply type in your zip code here & find out what is going on in your neighborhood (I was pleased to see There will be a flash mob literally down the street from me!).

If you’re in the LA area, One of the events I recommend checking out is Kristina Mitchell’s Art for Healing event going on downtown in conjunction with the fabulous LA ArtWalk. Another incredible theatrical event happening with The Global Theatre Project will have the troop in Florence, Italy, with puppets, spoken word, dancing & mobbing the streets. I am hoping to have a post-show report to share with you all on their endeavor!

As someone who finds Valentine’s Day a bit of a sappy, depressing holiday, I can’t think of a better alternative than getting out there with your VOICE HEARD! for a great cause. Because whether we think we are directly affected by violence or not, someone close to us most likely needs our help in breaking the chain of abuse.