Martha’s Day

Join the Compass Center for Martha’s Day on Tuesday, July 8, 2014 at Vimala’s Curryblossom Café to enjoy live music and delicious food. Your participation in Martha’s Day will make a huge difference in the lives of people in our community touched by domestic violence – an issue that affects thousands of women, men and children. Purchase tickets or make a donation in honor of Martha’s Day to support spreading community awareness and providing direct service to victims. We hope to see you there!

Can’t make the event? Buy raffle tickets for a chance to win awesome prizes including a 90-minute massage and a 3-month membership to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA.

Martha’s Day is proudly sponsored by Molly Maid of Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill Tire Car Care Center, Enitech IT Solutions, Cake, LLC, A Better Image Printing and DSI Comedy.

So, why is Martha’s Day important? Why is it important to come together as a community to address domestic violence? At the most basic level, awareness-raising for domestic violence is important because domestic violence is a serious problem. According to the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, there have been 19 domestic violence-related homicides in North Carolina since January 2013. There were 63 homicides in our state in 2012. Why, when people are losing their lives, are we not engaging in more community dialogue on domestic violence

On another level, awareness-raising is important because domestic violence is not just a “woman’s” problem or a “family” problem. It is a societal problem. Domestic violence doesn’t hurt its victims in a vacuum. Those victims are our friends; they are our family. They are our teachers, our co-workers, our employers. Domestic violence – and violence in general – has such a ripple effect; it touches so many people in so many different ways, and because we tend to avoid talking about it, we’re often unaware of how our community is shaped by violence. And that’s why these awareness-raising events and efforts are vital: it’s up to us as a community to start having difficult conversations and to start fixing a problem that ultimately touches all of us.

Finally, we need to raise awareness about domestic violence because there are still so many misconceptions about domestic and intimate partner violence. We have certainly come a long way in how we’ve approached and dealt with domestic violence, but we haven’t come far enough. The most obnoxious and infuriating thing I face when talking to others about domestic violence is “victim blaming.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a variation of, “Well, she should have left him.” People who utter those words usually have no idea what they are saying, but to those folks, I offer a reality check. Often for abused women, leaving the abuser is far, far more dangerous than staying with the abuser.

For more information, visit: http://compassctr.org/marthasday/

Category: Press Releases