THE POWER OF A NAME

I’m at the Renaming Celebration of The Centre County Women’s Resource Centre to the new, all inclusive name of Centre Safe, in State College, Pennsylvania. Centre Safe has been offering services to victims and survivors of both domestic and sexual violence for decades, regardless of gender, race, religious or spiritual affiliation, sexual orientation, class or educational backgrounds, for decades. And now this new name of Centre Safe represents the backgrounds of ALL survivors, as we know that domestic and sexual violence happens to women and men both.

Tuesday (10/9) is my Keynote Speech at the Centre County Courthouse during the Domestic Violence Leaves An Empty Place At The Table event, with Centre Safe’s Executive Director Anne Ard, Special Projects Coordinator and my dear friend Dawn McKee and Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna. If you are in need of support or assistance regarding issues of domestic violence or intimate partner violence, please refer to the extensive listing of  International Resources for Survivors I created for victims and survivors of both domestic and sexual violence. As a survivor myself, please allow me to remind you that you are not alone. It is not your fault. You will be believed, and supported. And you can heal and reclaim your life with the support and assistance available specifically designed to be present with you as you do.

It’s so good to be home with some of the people who first supported my activism on behalf of survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and such an honor to serve survivors and the people and programs who support them across the state of Pennsylvania.

All peace to you. Dora

My thanks to my dear friend Dawn McKee for this photo.