UA Women’s Resource Center, Panhellenic and IFC to Sponsor Candlelight Vigil for Domestic Violence Awareness

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – On Tuesday, Oct. 16, The University of Alabama Women’s Resource Center (WRC), Panhellenic Association and the Interfraternity Council (IFC) will sponsor a candlelight vigil at Denny Chimes at 6 p.m. for domestic violence awareness.

The vigil will be part of the first statewide vigil coordinated by the Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ACADV) through the program “Remember My Name: Remember and Act.”

At UA, attendants will light candles to remember victims and pledge to fight domestic violence. The chimes will ring 37 times, one for each victim in Alabama in 2000. The Panhellenic and IFC presidents, along with the WRC, will lead the service.

“If we take responsibility and action, we can bring about change,” Elle Shaaban, UA’s “Remember My Name: Remember and Act” program coordinator, said. “Domestic violence is everyone’s business. It is widespread and affects all communities.”

Members of the UA and Tuscaloosa community are encouraged to attend the vigil on Oct. 16 to show their support.

The ACADV is also conducting a vigil at the same time on the steps of the Alabama Capitol in Montgomery. Throughout the state, other domestic violence community councils will conduct other candlelight vigils to honor those who have lost their lives to domestic violence.

At the University vigil, the WRC will display the “Clothes Line Project” to honor the victims of domestic abuse. Students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to make a T-shirt at the vigil in memory of a loved one who was a victim of violence to hang on the clothesline. The WRC will also display the local Junior League’s “Silent Witness Project,” a series of silhouettes honoring the memory of victims of domestic violence.

Domestic violence is a serious crime that affects people of all races, ages, income levels and sex. Each year, approximately 3.3 million children witness violence by family members against their mother or female caregiver. Forty percent of teen-age girls report knowing someone their age who has been hit by a boyfriend. In 2000, there were 37 domestic violence homicides reported in Alabama.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the WRC provides numerous activities to aid those who are victims and to support the family members of victims. The University of Alabama is showing its support throught the display of purple ribbons across campus.

For more information on ways to help or to show support for domestic violence awareness, contact the WRC at 205/348-5040.