YES!  Only $5 to see V-Day’s award-winning documentary,
“Until the Violence Stops”.
Only ONE screening -
THURSDAY, February 2, 7:00pm! 

Check out this trailer for a preview …

THURSDAY, February 2, 7:00pm
Purchase your ticket at the box office on event night.

BOULEVARD CINEMAS
200 C Street, Petaluma
Limited seating … First come, first served! 

Hosted by Guided To Safety

Until the Violence Stops features playwright and activist Eve Ensler in a powerful film that documents how The Vagina Monologues grew into an international grassroots movement called V-Day to stop violence against women and girls. In 2002, eight hundred cities around the world participated in V-Day by staging benefit performances of The Vagina Monologues. Until the Violence Stops shows women from Harlem to Ukiah, California; from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to the Philippines and Kenya, uniting and courageously revealing their intimate and deeply painful experiences with abuse ranging from rape to female circumcision.

Director Abby Epstein takes us on a poignant journey into the hearts of women and includes revealing testimonies from men, who expose social and cultural attitudes that perpetuate the pervasive violence against women. In emotionally charged interviews and performances, everyday women and celebrities embrace their bodies, reconcile their past, and bond together to break the silence that surrounds abuse.

More than just testimonies and performances, Until the Violence Stops is a film about empowerment and the importance of dialogue in the healing process. A celebration of women reclaiming their bodies and lives, this moving documentary leaves us with hope that change can happen.

In 2004, Until the Violence Stops world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and broadcast premiered on Lifetime Television. It has been screened at the Amnesty International Film Festivals in Amsterdam and Vancouver, as well as at the Miami and Maui Film festivals. In September, Toni Childs, David Ricketts, and Eddie Free received the 2004 Emmy award for “Best Original Song” for “Because You Are Beautiful” and in November, the film won top honor – the Gold Audience Award – at the Amnesty International Film Festival in Vancouver.

A modest proposal for avoiding rape

By Lynn Harris

School’s in, the party’s on — and the grownups are “freaking out,” writes Jaclyn Friedman at The American Prospect. “At about the beginning of every school year, adult anxiety about sexual assault reaches a tipping point and gives way to an avalanche of advice to young women from campuses, commentators, and parents alike: Don’t hook up! Don’t dress provocatively! Watch your drink! Actually, don’t drink at all! Always stay with a friend! Don’t stay out too late! Don’t walk home alone! Etcetera, etcetera, ad nauseam.” 

Common sense and gut-trusting, with a soupcon of vigilance: never a bad idea. But as far as reliable rape prevention goes, Friedman notes, they’re about as strong a self-defense as a pamphlet. Sexual assault rates may indeed even be going up, and that’s in part because one very important person is often left out of the prevention equation: the perp. Yes, there can be gray areas; confusion and complications, of course. But there is a bottom line: “Only rapists can prevent rape.” In the prevention and counseling community, that’s practically a chestnut — but to the rest of us, it presents a serious and overdue challenge: to shift the way we talk about rape and where we place ultimate responsibility for public health and safety. 

One bit of pointed not-really-satire currently making the rounds (but not always sourced) could also give us a start. (Caveat: The “ALWAYS REMEMBER” coda is pushing it, I think. But the rest is the stuff of instant, if provocative, classic.) 

Sexual Assault Prevention Tips Guaranteed to Work!

• Don’t put drugs in people’s drinks in order to control their behavior.
• When you see someone walking by themselves, leave them alone!
• If you pull over to help someone with car problems, remember not to assault them!
• NEVER open an unlocked door or window uninvited.
• If you are in an elevator and someone else gets in, DON’T ASSAULT THEM!
• Remember, people go to laundry to do their laundry, do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room.
• USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public.
• Always be honest with people! Don’t pretend to be a caring friend in order to gain the trust of someone you want to assault. Consider telling them you plan to assault them. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the other person may take that as a sign that you do not plan to rape them.
• Don’t forget: you can’t have sex with someone unless they are awake!
• Carry a whistle! If you are worried you might assault someone “on accident” you can hand it to the person you are with, so they can blow it if you do.

And, ALWAYS REMEMBER: if you didn’t ask permission and then respect the answer the first time, you are commiting a crime–no matter how “into it” others appear to be.

Did we receive your entry into our ({V})ART Show?  Today is the final day to get your JPG in!

The show will run February 9 through March 20 at Viva Cocolat, and includes a reception February 11, during the February Art Walk.

JPG submissions should be sent to Alexa Malvino at alexa.malvino@gmail.com.  For further details, please go to: http://v-daypetaluma.org/events-schedule/vday-art/call-for-vart-entries/

YES!  Only $5 to see V-Day’s award-winning documentary,
“Until the Violence Stops”.
Only one screening – two weeks from today! 

Check out this trailer for a preview …

Thursday, February 2, 7:00pm
Purchase your ticket at the box office on event night.
Limited seating …First come, first served! 

Hosted by Guided To Safety

Until the Violence Stops features playwright and activist Eve Ensler in a powerful film that documents how The Vagina Monologues grew into an international grassroots movement called V-Day to stop violence against women and girls. In 2002, eight hundred cities around the world participated in V-Day by staging benefit performances of The Vagina Monologues. Until the Violence Stops shows women from Harlem to Ukiah, California; from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to the Philippines and Kenya, uniting and courageously revealing their intimate and deeply painful experiences with abuse ranging from rape to female circumcision.

Director Abby Epstein takes us on a poignant journey into the hearts of women and includes revealing testimonies from men, who expose social and cultural attitudes that perpetuate the pervasive violence against women. In emotionally charged interviews and performances, everyday women and celebrities embrace their bodies, reconcile their past, and bond together to break the silence that surrounds abuse.

More than just testimonies and performances, Until the Violence Stops is a film about empowerment and the importance of dialogue in the healing process. A celebration of women reclaiming their bodies and lives, this moving documentary leaves us with hope that change can happen.

In 2004, Until the Violence Stops world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and broadcast premiered on Lifetime Television. It has been screened at the Amnesty International Film Festivals in Amsterdam and Vancouver, as well as at the Miami and Maui Film festivals. In September, Toni Childs, David Ricketts, and Eddie Free received the 2004 Emmy award for “Best Original Song” for “Because You Are Beautiful” and in November, the film won top honor – the Gold Audience Award – at the Amnesty International Film Festival in Vancouver.

Two years ago January 12, the world could only watch as one of the worst natural disasters in living memory struck our brothers and sisters in Haiti. According to the Haitian government, over 230,000 people died as a result of that magnitude 7.0 earthquake, 300,000 more were injured and over 1,000,000 were left homeless. Today, over 500,000 people live in make-shift refugee camps across Haiti, and though these “tent cities” might provide some protection from the elements, they have become breeding grounds for disease and violence against women and girls. Since the earthquake, women and girls throughout Haiti have been at a heightened risk for sexual assault. 

On January 12, 2010 we lost friends, loved ones, and allies, and it is in their memory that we must continue to help those that survived rebuild, renew, and reclaim their country and their lives. Activists on the ground are doing incredible work, and V-Day is so proud to be supporting these inspirational women and men. Through the two-year V-Day Spotlight Campaign on the Women & Girls of Haiti, V-Day activists around the world continue to raise awareness and funds to support a revolutionary national program in Haiti lead by a coalition of women activists – including longtime V-Day activist and AFASDA founder Elvire Eugene – that is addressing sexual violence through art, advocacy, safe shelter, and legal services. Many steps have already been taken towards a new and bright future for Haiti where women and girls are safe, however the work is only just beginning, the need for awareness and funds is as great today as it ever has been, as Elvire explains: 

“Two years after the earthquake on January 12, 2010 that ravaged Haiti, some half a million people are still living in filthy tent cities where cholera and sexual violence runs rampant.  In recent months, there has been a shift in international aid, moving from the “humanitarian phase” to the “recovery and reconstruction phase.” While we admire the great victories that this phase has lead to including the creation of 300,000 temporary jobs with 40% going to women, and the removal of 50% of the debris which equals about five million cubic meters – enough to fill five soccer stadiums -  it is important to remember the needs of the survivors. AFASDA wants to thank the parents, victims, survivors, and all people & organizations like V-Day who with determination continue to help the women and girls of Haiti. With this help, we have an opportunity to truly rebuild a new society, a new nation. 

GOD bless HAITI and our Friends.” 

Elvire Eugene
AFASDA

The art we are seeking for this show should be a positive expression of women and girls, an expression of what the V-Day movement means to you, and/or art relating to women’s empowerment.  It will be staged at Viva Cocolat, 143 Petaluma Blvd. North, from early February through early March.

• Deadline for submitting JPGs: January 22, 2012
• Up to two pieces per artist, max 20″ x 24″ per piece
• Entry fee: $5 per piece
• Submit to: Alexa Malvino at alexa.malvino@gmail.com or call 707-328-3500

For more information, you may also visit http://v-daypetaluma.org/events-schedule/vday-art/call-for-vart-entries

Come share your art with us!