by Emily Harris
On Saturday March 12th, I had the honor of attending the 5th Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Day at Valley State Prison for Women. The day was incredibly moving, full of lots of emotion, tears, laughter and many familiar faces. It was such an honor to be present to witness the powerful skits, music, dance, poetry, and testimony about domestic violence. One of the creative acts of resistance was the purple paper chain that the event organizers created that wrapped around the entire gymnasium. Each piece of paper had a quote such as “you are not alone”, “it is not your fault”, “break the silence” and as each speaker came to the stage they would breaking a chain off and read it out loud.
The event was organized by the Domestic Violence Peer Educators and attended by 400 women and transgender people at VSPW. The event planners invited outside guests to participate and speak at the event, in attendance this year were members of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners, Justice Now, TGI Justice Project and CURB!!
Click here for more photos from TGIJP!
Below is an article from the Merced Sun-Star about the event:
Inmates at Chowchilla women’s prison address vicious cycle
yamaro@mercedsun-star.com
Camilla Russell was abused as a child. “I never talked about it,” she recalled. Not talking about it for years caused the tension inside of her to build up as anger.
Merced Sun-Star – PHOTO BY BEA AHBECK
Tiffany Sanders and Jovanna Washington act out a scene in the skit “Love the Way You Lie” during the fifth annual Domestic Violence Awareness Day at Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla on Saturday.
Merced Sun-Star – PHOTO BY BEA AHBECK
Brandi Vogl reacts to a skit. Several of the inmates are incarcerated because of domestic violence-related offenses.
Merced Sun-Star – PHOTO BY BEA AHBECK
Lynn Noles plays the victim of domestic abuse in the skit ‘Concrete Angel’ during the fifth annual Domestic Violence Awareness Day at Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla.
Russell was among 400 inmates who participated in the fifth annual Domestic Violence Awareness Day at the Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla on Saturday. Throughout the daylong event, inmates performed skits, read poems and shared their stories.
The event celebrated survivors and those who have lost their lives to domestic violence.
Michelle Sabin, self-help sponsor at the prison, helped organize the event. She said one goal was “to bring awareness of domestic violence that goes on even after someone gets arrested.”
The event also was meant to create awareness in people outside the prison walls, and to help women realize they’re not alone and that they can get help.
Common factor
According to Sabin, about one-third of the women who participated in the event committed a crime in response to the domestic violence they suffered. Since 1997, 33 women statewide have had their cases overturned and were released from prison because the crimes they had committed were to protect themselves from their abuser.
Russell, who’s been at the prison for 5½ years, said those who have been abused as children tend to become abusers. She said it’s important for people to know that domestic violence doesn’t only happen between two partners.
She recommended that those who are suffering from domestic violence find a person they trust and talk to that person about what’s going on. “It’s going to get heavier and heavier if you don’t speak,” she said.
“One thing about being a domestic violence victim is that you live a chaotic life,” said Velda Dobson-Davis, chief deputy warden, who spoke during the event.
She said domestic violence is about controlling someone and preventing that person from doing what she wants to do.
“I just want to encourage you to be all you want to be,” Dobson-Davis told the inmates. “You can be anything you want to be — anything.”
Lynn Noyes, a former preschool teacher, has been an inmate at the prison for a decade and helped organize Saturday’s event. She said it’s about uniting everyone, regardless of culture, to bring awareness and education about the issue. “When I was arrested there wasn’t much information about it,” Noyes said.
Since 2002, she’s been working along with other inmates to bring more attention to the problem. “To honor my victim,” Noyes said, noting that awareness will help prevent another woman from ending up in prison.
Victim honored
During the event, Sandra Williamson was honored. Williamson, who was well known by women at the prison through her involvement with Kairos Prison Ministry International Inc., was killed by her estranged husband on Feb. 16 in Madera County. Her husband, James Williamson, also killed Sandra’s lawyer, Judith Leslie Soley, then turned the gun on himself. The Williamsons were going through a divorce.
“She was close to our hearts,” said inmate Windy Click. “We just really honor her today.”
Yesenia Amaro can be reached at (209)388-6507, or yamaro@mercedsun-star.com.
Read more: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2011/03/14/1810130/inmates-at-chowchilla-womens-prison.html#ixzz1HBLPQDyd
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