"Remember Me" Vigil honors Domestic Violence Survivors

October 20, 2009 |
Valor

On October 15, 2009, the Women’s Law Caucus at Albany Law School and members of the Campus Violence Prevention Taskforce Office along with the school’s Domestic Violence Clinic, organized a domestic violence vigil in recognition of the survivors and victims of domestic violence.

Approximately 70 students, staff and faculty and community members gathered on the steps of Albany Law School’s historic 1928 building which was lit in purple, the color used to commemorate domestic violence.  Karla DiGirolamo from Unity House not only addressed the progress the U.S. domestic violence movement has made in the last thirty years but also stressed the urgency of making further strides forward.  Part of the solution, she said, requires the active and continuous engagement of men in order to change norms and to address populations of marginalized survivors.  Men’s involvement in combatting gender based violence is a growing approach across the country, particularly on college campuses.
Following Karla’s call to action, Barbara Chandler, a paralegal in the Law Clinic & Justice Center, sang a beautiful rendition of “I Believe I Can Fly” acappela.  The vigil preceded an informational social indoors where event attendees were treated to hot chocolate and more information about upcoming events including next week’s presentation by A Call to Men on October 21, tabling and collecting personal care items for domestic violence shelter residents.