Each month, we give you a roundup of the highlights in national and local news relevant to social justice topics. Our goal is to let the stories spark productive conversations that can help create change.
 
October was domestic violence awareness month, and because that is one of our key service areas at the YW, we decided to devote this month’s blog to that topic. But we weren’t the only ones talking about domestic violence. A cool ad campaign that addresses both domestic violence and sexual assault is the No More campaign which features more than 40 celebrities in video PSAs and print ads. Peter Hermann narrated the PSAs and spoke with Jansing & Co. about the campaign.
 
The New York Magazine wrote an interesting article called How Breast Cancer Won the Battle for October, which calls on corporations to help raise awareness about domestic violence. The article names several corporations that have championed domestic violence causes, including Verizon who recently announced their support of domestic violence services in Alabama, including those of the YWCA. The article also praises The Allstate Foundation which launched the Purple Purse campaign that we were a part of. Thank you for helping us to pass the purse 1,000 times—the YW Central Alabama will receive the $10,000 grant from the Allstate Foundation thanks to you!
 
We’ve been talking about domestic violence all month, and one of the factors that contributes to domestic violence is sexism. This ad campaign from the United Nations has been all over social media. The ads have pictures of women and over their mouths is a Google search bar with auto-complete results. You might be surprised what happens when you type in “women cannot,” “women should” and other similar searches.
 
In addition to being domestic violence awareness and breast cancer awareness month, October was bullying prevention month. CBS asked Are anti-bullying efforts making it worse? The article suggests that tactics similar to those the YW uses at Anytown Alabama and Heritage Panel programs are the best way to help end bullying.
 
Finally, we always like to share articles where the YW is mentioned. So here’s one from Weld highlight our Feeling Safe at Home exhibit. We were also pleased that this month’s guest post from Allison Dearing was a part of the national YW’s blog carnival.
 
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The views expressed in this blog are the personal opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the YWCA Central Alabama. The intention of this blog is to provide information and perspectives on social justice issues; however, the YWCA makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The YWCA will not be held liable for any errors or omissions in this information or for any losses, injuries or damages incurred from the display or use of this information. This policy is subject to change at any time.