We were the first agency of its kind in the country, born here in Los Angeles.

In 1971, the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women (LACAAW) was established by pioneering feminist activists after a woman was raped on Sunset Blvd. A group of six women, friends of the survivor, organized an anti-rape squad, selling bumper stickers and posting alerts on trees and at bus-stops. They also performed guerrilla theater skits and responded to local crisis calls from rape survivors. The response was enormous and overwhelming. Due to an increasing number of women disclosing on the hotline that they had been raped by their husbands and involved in domestic violence, the hotline became more and more involved with the issues of interpersonal violence. The hotline evolved from crisis line and expanded to a full fledged organization including intervention and trauma recovery services, prevention education programming, empowerment self-defense classes, policy advocacy, and international awareness campaigns. What began as a small group of women organizing became the longest running sexual and domestic violence hotline in the country. Over the last 50 years, the agency has grown and now has more than 70 staff and 200 volunteers transforming families and communities in Los Angeles County and beyond.

It is poetic that we are hosting our 50th anniversary event in Hollywood, down the street from where these friends first were inspired into action and started LACAAW. Now Peace Over Violence, we are thrilled to come back to our roots and celebrate at The Taglyan Complex.