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Dear Friend,
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Given the rise of mental illness and connection to issues of domestic and sexual abuse, homelessness, and the impact of COVID, in addition to the increase of anti-Asian violence, we believe it is important to acknowledge these two nationally recognized awareness designations. At Peace Over Violence, we know that violence is intersectional and to truly address it, we must look at the roots. We must challenge ourselves and others to dismantle systems that do not promote healing and solidarity, and work together to build a world without violence.
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Program Highlight: Denim Day 2021
Last month, during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we held the 22nd annual Denim Day! Millions of individuals all over the world made a social statement with their fashion statement and wore jeans with a purpose - spreading messages of solidarity and support. The campaign largely remained virtual connecting people and promoting awareness and education around all forms of sexual violence. It was one of our most successful Denim Days to date!
For a full recap of the campaign, click here.
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POV’s People: Where are they now?
Throughout this year, we will be highlighting individuals or groups that have impacted our work over the last 50 years.
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Debra Duardo, M.S.W., Ed.D.
Dr. Debra Duardo was appointed Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools by the County Board of Supervisors in 2016, designating her as the top education leader of the nation’s most populous and diverse county. As County Superintendent, Dr. Duardo oversees 80 K-12 school districts that serve 1.4 million students, providing leadership and support to superintendents and administrators countywide. She holds a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of California, Los Angeles and a doctorate from UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies.
Before this role, Dr. Duardo held several other positions, including starting out at Peace Over Violence working in prevention and youth programming. With POV for 10 years from 1984-1994, Dr. Duardo has since remained in touch and a constant friend and supporter of our work. This year, LACOE partnered with POV to promote Denim Day, running an awareness campaign and producing two videos featuring interviews with Dr. Duardo and POV Executive Director and CEO, Patti Giggans, who originally hired her!
Check out the full video here
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Sung Yeon Choimorrow
“The experiences and voices of AAPI survivors of sexual violence and harassment, for instance, are not often examined in discussions about Title IX and workplace harassment, and data and statistics on experiences of sexual violence are often limited to Asian Americans, with scant information on Pacific Islanders. Further barriers prevent Asian women—especially immigrants—from even reporting the abuse they experience, including power inequities based on race, gender, immigration status, language barriers and social stigma.”
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Alanna Vagianos
“The violence and discrimination that we’ve faced stems from invisibility and apathy. Therefore, the solution is visibility and empathy,” Nguyen said in a statement announcing the campaign… “Communities are effectively cut out of the conversation when their heritages and histories are erased,” Nguyen told HuffPost. “How can we collectively build without knowing our past? Our mistakes and our victories.”
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Laura Peek
“Some might believe that seeing these comments online is less harmful than hearing them in person. But our online spaces are not divorced from reality. Increasingly, especially during COVID-19, online spaces are our reality. Although these statements are the opinion of one person behind a keyboard, they are indicative of wider cultural beliefs, and they reinforce and spread harmful assumptions about the nature of sexual violence. Those assumptions have had and continue to have real-world implications in our homes, schools, communities, and courtrooms.”
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Alvin Powell, Harvard Staff Writer
“COVID-19’s most severe physical impacts have been felt by the elderly, the experts said, but some of its worst mental health effects have emerged in children — isolated from friends and missing educational opportunities when they should be striking out and finding out about themselves — and young adults, many of whom are struggling with reduced wages and lost jobs layered on child-care and elder-care responsibilities.”
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Ana Sandoiu
“Scientists are starting to see a global “surge” in depression. According to a December 2020 survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, 42% of people in the country reported symptoms of anxiety or depression that month. This was a huge increase from the 11% they recorded in 2019. Another study that MNT reported on found that cases of depression in the U.S. had tripled over the course of the pandemic. The picture looks similar worldwide.”
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POV’s Summer Youth Institute
Registration for the 2021 Summer Youth Institute is now open!
The Youth Over Violence (YOV) Leadership Institute is a five-week program aimed at empowering youth between the ages of 14-19 by educating them on healthy relationships, promoting awareness of teen dating violence, and enhancing community organizing skills. We are looking for youth who are committed to building and making powerful social change through awareness, advocacy, and policy change. After the summer, students will go back to school as leaders of campus-based violence prevention clubs, and become mentors to other students, identifying and cultivating the next generation of leaders. The Institute utilizes a combination of educational sessions, trauma-informed activities, and internship projects.
Click here for more information and to apply today
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POV Emergency Relief Fund
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are far from over, and we remain committed to supporting those that need help the most. Survivors, especially survivors of color, have been disproportionately financially impacted by the pandemic. We know that the biggest obstacle to survivor safety is financial insecurity; their number one need is for money to help support and sustain themselves and their families. Last year, we established the Peace Over Violence Emergency Relief Fund to provide direct cash assistance to survivors in the Los Angeles region, collectively building and coordinating resources to meet their most immediate and essential needs. The need for this fund continues. By donating now, you can help ensure that the most vulnerable are supported.
Donate to the Fund Now
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POV In the News
POV Executive Director/CEO Patti Giggans on KTLA Morning Show
Watch Now
POV Trauma Therapist Sky Ross on NBC LA
Watch Now
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Upcoming Events
5/27 1 PM PST on Zoom
AAPI Heritage Month Webinar led by POV Trauma Therapist Carmela Capinpin - stay tuned for more info on how to register!
6/11 1 PM PST
Virtual DACA Clinic
6/17 2 PM PST
Workshop: California Victim Compensation Program
6/18 11 AM PST
Domestic Violence Restraining Orders
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Support healing services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
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CONTACT
Metro Headquarters
1541 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90017
213.955.9090 office
213.955.9093 fax
213.785.2684 video
213.785.2749 video
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West San Gabriel Valley Center
892 N Fair Oaks Ave, Suite D
Pasadena, CA 91103
626.584.6191 office
626.584.6193 fax
626.243.7972 video
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