One Billion Rising in Charlottesville

As February rolls around, the One Billion Rising Team in Charlottesville, Virginia are not the only folks in town gearing up. After attending any one of our five events, check out some of the other events that will be happening around VDay:

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What is a Community of Trust? A Public Conversation about Gender Violence at U.Va.
Thursday, February 7
6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Ern Commons

How do we end gender violence at the University? Gina Maisto Smith, JD, an expert in university policy related to sexual misconduct, and Dorothy Edwards, PhD, expert in prevention of gender violence, will lead a public conversation about ending gender violence at the University. This is a unique opportunity to participate in a discussion of how the University can be a national leader in ending gender violence. All members of the University and greater community are invited to attend. Opening remarks by President Teresa Sullivan.

Co-sponsored by the Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Virginia.

Endorsed by FIFE, SALC, SAPA, SAFE, One in Four, the White Ribbon Campaign, Student Council, Honor Committee, Women’s Center, Faculty Senate, Shelter for Help in Emergency and the Sexual Assault Resource Agency.

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“Guy Fi: The Fictions that Rule Men’s Lives”

Christopher Kilmartin, Ph.D.

Feb. 13, 7-8:30 pm in Minor Hall 124

 

Dr. Christopher Kilmartin is a college professor, author, stand-up comedian, actor, playwright, consultant and professional psychologist.  He is a professor of Psychology at The University of Mary Washington and serves as a consultant on gender based violence issues with businesses, college students, human services workers, athletic departments, the military, and counselors.  His major scholarly work includes The Masculine Self; Men’s Violence Against Women: Theory, Research, and Activism; The Pain behind the Mask: Overcoming Masculine Depression and Sexual Assault in Context: Teaching College Men about Gender. This multi-media storytelling/lecture hybrid incorporates both humor and serious thought to address the gender ideologies that pressure men to behave and experience the self in certain ways, some of which lead to problems such as educational underachievement, relationship difficulties, homophobia and violence. Dr. Kilmartin challenges his audiences to critically think about the difficulties of resisting a pressure that one cannot name, and how educating men about masculine pressures can position them to resist influences that may conflict with life goals and/or contribute to hurting another person.

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Pornography and Masculinity: The Production and Consumption of Inequality 

We live in a culture in which violence and aggression are normative aspects of idealized masculinity, in which pornography functions as a core component of most boys and young men’s gender and sexual socialization, and in which levels of men’s violence against women reach pandemic levels. In a frank and honest discussion, Dr. Matt Ezzell, Assistant Professor of Sociology at James Madison University, will explore the ways these things are connected.

When: Friday, February 15th, 2013, 12:00-1:30 PM (bring your lunch, light refreshments will be provided)

Where: Open Grounds (on the Corner, across from Qdoba and the White Spot, next to the Women’s Center) 

Please RSVP and direct any questions to Emily Loranger, eal2bt@virginia.edu

One Billion Rising in the United States

One Billion Rising Facebook Page

Hello World!

The Charlottesville rising is well on it’s way– looking at our facebook page, you can see that students, community members and performers are beginning to flock together. One Billion Rising is an international movement in 189 countries to demand an end to violence against women. On February 14th in the Newcomb Ballroom, Spectrum Theatre and the UVA Women’s Center are proudly sponsoring a rising in Charlottesville. There will be music, dancing, artwork and free food! This is a chance to celebrate the women in our community and to demand an end to domestic and sexual violence here and abroad.

But wait, that’s not all…

We are having an entire week of events!

Monday, Feb. 11th: Open Mic Night, Para Coffee, 7-9 pm, FREE

Come celebrate the rising of women against sexual violence by performing at the V-Day Open Mic Night. We are looking for singers, musicians, poets, actors, etc. Whatever your talent showcase it here!

 

Tuesday, Feb. 12th: Very Young Girls, UVA Runk Green Room, 7 pm, FREE

Join us while we view Very Young Girls and discuss the state of human trafficking in the world today. This event is focused on the national impact of human trafficking.

 

Wednesday, Feb. 13th: Angela Davis Presents: Date Rape in For The Colored Girls, UVA Runk Green Room, 6 pm, FREE

A discussion on date and acquaintance rape in our culture today led by Former University Professor Angela Davis as seen through the lens of Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf.

 

Thursday, Feb. 14th: One Billion Rising UVA Newcomb Ballroom, 11 am-6 pm, FREE

One Billion Rising is an international movement in 189 countries to demand an end to violence against women. There will be music, dancing, artwork and free food! This is a chance to  celebrate the women in our community and to demand an end to domestic and sexual violence here and abroad. 

 

Friday-Sunday, Feb. 15-17th: The Vagina Monologues, UVA Chemistry Auditorium, 8 pm, Tickets: $5

A series of monologues based on Eve Ensler’s interviews with thousands of women. These stories range from funny to heartbreaking— giving a full spectrum of women’s experiences. All proceeds go to benefit the White Ribbon Campaign at UVA and Women and Girls of Haiti.

Of course, we are not the only group gearing up for action!

Rising are cropping up all over the country!

“I have been asked what led me to create this event here in Florida, where our state gets such a reputation for backward behavior. Here is my story about how my passion for a safe place for women overcame my fear. www.liciaberry.com/blog“

“Check out our how to: Flash mob dance video for LA! – http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151192531410957 “

Artists in California: The Longest War is the One Against Women

In Texas, a rising in Spanish….

and many, many more.

Open Mic Night

Are you a singer, musician, or poet? If so, come celebrate women rising above sexual violence by performing at the V-Day Open Mic at Para Coffee on February 11th from 7-9 pm. Enjoy a tasty cup of brew while listening to some great entertainment by your fellow students!

OBR Organizer’s Photos

 

 

Planning the Rising

Good evening friends!

We had our first major One Billion Rising organizers meeting tonight and, over pasta and wine, discussed out plans for the coming month. In only 25 days we will be rising in Charlottesville, Virginia. The long awaited details are finally here!

Where? The UVA Newcomb Ballroom

When? 02.14.2013, 11 am to 6 pm

What? A celebration and a memorial, a dance and a protest… we are joining together with 182 other countries in a global rising to end sexual and domestic violence against women. We will have live music, from a Capella to DJs. There will be dancing, artwork, self-defense lessons, free food, and much much more…..

In the next week, our major mission is to reach out to other individuals and organizations which will join us. We are inviting representatives from any group that works to end Women’s Violence to join us on V-Day. This is a great opportunity for organizations to meet and mingle, recruiting new volunteers. The mission of our OBR event is two-fold: to increase awareness about women’s issues in our community and internationally and to raise money for our beneficiary this year, the White Ribbon Campaign, and the national V-Day movement.  Interested? Know someone who might be? Email Marta at meh2ug@virginia.edu, one of our OBR coordinators. 

Another goal for this week is to order our One Billion Rising merchandise—- T-shirts, stickers, and who knows what else? Here is one design we are considering for the Vagina Monologues:

There’s lots of work to be done, but we are up to the challenge! For all the other organizers out there, we hope some of our ideas are helpful to you!

One Billion Rising and the Vagina Monologue Auditions

Don’t forget: The Vagina Monologues Auditions are coming up this Saturday, December 8th! They will be from noon to 6 pm in the Runk Green Room. To sign up for an audition slot, go here!

If you have not yet gotten a chance to view Eve Ensler’s short film for One Billion Rising, follow the link and prepare yourself to be blown away. Below are snapshots (from the film) of the rising women around the world.

 

One Billion Rising Positions and Vagina Monologue Auditions

We at Spectrum want to welcome back from Thanksgiving break. There are two major events going on before the winter recess.

We will be holding auditions for the Vagina Monologues, written by Eve Ensler and directed by Spectrum’s Bri Balone on December 8th from noon until 5pm in the Runk Green Room. To sign up for an audition slot, go here!

Walk-ins are welcome and you DO NOT need to have a piece prepared. We will have selected scripts available for cold readings. If you have any questions or conflicts, feel free to e-mail Bri at bmb5xe@virginia.edu with “The Vagina Monologues” in the subject line.

Additionally, we will be choosing leaders for One Billion Rising in Charlottesville. Here are some of the positions we are looking to fill:

• Publicity Head: primary contact for newspapers, radio stations, and University resources; in charge of designing OR approving flyers (depending on artistic inclination…); in short, getting the word out to both the UVa and Charlottesville community about One Billion Rising!
• Fundraising Head: primary duties include talking to local businesses and individuals to find sponsors and supporters for One Billion Rising. Forms of fundraising range from bake sales to buying ad space in the program with everything in-between.
• Men’s Movement Head: we are looking for (more than a) few good men to head up the V-Men’s movement! For more information about the program, visit the official website.
• CIO Outreach: in charge of communicating with the various organizations on grounds. There is already a rich community of activists and supporters at UVa– we want to coordinate our efforts so that everyone who is working towards the common goal of ending violence can stand strong together.
• Faculty Outreach: in a similar vein, we want to reach out to faculty from all of the Universities schools. We already have some momentum building withe Women, Gender and Society department: only 67 more to go in the college; and then there is the Engineering school, the Architecture school, the Nursing school…..
• Community Outreach: One Billion Rising is a call to entire communities to rise up and reject violence. We want to get as many facets of the Charlottesville community involved with the movement! Primary responsibilities will include researching and contacting other organizations that might want to join with us.

If you have any questions about the positions, feel free to email Katie Ryan at kar4xe@virginia.edu with “One Billion Rising” in the subject line.

This is only the beginning: we want everybody who is interested to get involved and let their voice be heard. We are continually looking for people who are passionate about any aspect of OBR– from music (for the actual dancing) to art (a photography contest! a logo design forum!). If YOU have a great idea for an event or movement here in Charlottesville, e-mail us! We want to hear your voice rising along with the millions of voices around the world.