One Billion Rising for Justice in Martin County

The City of Stuart in Martin County is excited to announce the first annual ONE BILLION RISING event in association with the global movement founded by Eve Ensler. The campaign will build upon the energy and momentum that was created on February 14, 2013 when one billion activists in 207 countries and territories came together to rise, strike, and dance, in the biggest mass action in human history, to demand an end to violence against women and girls.
This year, we will focus on the issue of justice for all survivors of gender violence, and ending the rampant impunity that prevails globally.  On February 14th we are calling on women, men and youth around the Treasure Coast to RISE, RELEASE, DANCE, and demand JUSTICE against violence!  ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE IN MARTIN COUNTY will be held at the Gazebo Park in downtown Stuart from 6:00p.m. until 10:00p.m. on Friday, February 14, 2014.  The campaign is a recognition that we cannot end violence against women without looking at the intersection of poverty, racism, war, the plunder of the environment, capitalism, imperialism, and patriarchy. Impunity lives at the heart of these interlocking forces.
            ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE is a call to action for survivors to end their silence, BREAK THE CHAIN, and share their stories—through art, dance, songs, spoken word, testimonials, and whatever way feels right. According to U.N. statistics worldwide, one in every three women will be beaten or raped in her lifetime. That’s ONE BILLION women. It’s time to take a stand.  Time to sing loudly.  Time to dance our celebration that we are all more than the abuses we’ve suffered.
The event is free!  Come hear Mindi Fetterman with the Inner Truth Project share her story of abuse, survival, and the power to heal. Jennifer Borowicz of SafeSpace will address teen issues—February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness month.  Martin County Sheriff William Snyder will also be attending the rally.  So join us! Come learn the BREAK THE CHAINS dance.  There will be yoga, martial arts, Jazzersize, The Broken Tubas, the Shepherd Park Drum Circle, dance performances from the Port Salerno, Palm City and East Stuart Boys and Girls clubs, and much more!
Eve Ensler, founder of the One Billion Rising movement, poet and playwright, discusses security in her 2005 TED Talk as being possible only in community.  We must know each other, hear each other’s stories, come together and refuse to be the victims of violence.  For more information about the global rise against violence, go to www.onebillionrising.org.  All donations raised from the event will go to the Inner Truth Project and SafeSpace. For more information about these two organizations, visit http://www.innertruthproject.org/  and http://www.safespacefl.org/contact.html.  For more information about the event, please contact Olivia Ranieri at ranieriolivia@gmail.com or 772.834.9611.  Also check out our events page at
http://www.onebillionrising.org/events/one-billion-rising-for-justice-martin-county/.  Be sure to like us on Facebook and share the invitation with all your friends!
“ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE is a global call to women survivors of violence and those who love them to gather safely in community outside places where they are entitled to justice --- courts, police stations, government offices, colleges, work places, military courts, places of worship, homes. It is a call to survivors to break the silence and release their stories – politically, spiritually, outrageously --- through art, dance, marches, ritual, song, spoken word, testimonies and whatever way feels right.”  --http://www.onebillionrising.org/ways-to-rise

https://www.facebook.com/OneBillionRisingMartinCounty