Thursday, December 2
12:00-12:45 p.m. CST
Speakers: Melissa Scaia, Alessandra Gribaldo, Allison Murray
Moderated by: Nazifa Wazirzada

Violence against women and girls is the most prevalent form of violence globally, yet it is widely underreported to the police because reporting and testifying in court is difficult and traumatizing. Survivors are often subject to judgement about their choices, and questioned about their credibility as victims of a crime. Melissa Scaia, a court expert witness in domestic violence and Director of International Training for Global Rights for Women, Alessandra Gribaldo, author of Unexpected Subjects, and Allison Murray, educator and domestic violence survivor, will share their experiences in courts, and how respect and safety can be prioritized for survivors of gender-based violence.

Wednesday, October 20
12:00-12:45 p.m. CST
Speakers: Kia Whittier, Megan Rae
Moderated by: Patricia Cumbie

When people suspect someone they love is being abused or is hurting from trauma, they often don’t know what to do, but want to be helpful in meaningful ways. What survivors say they need for support may surprise you, and the ways you can be an “upstander” instead of “bystander” is doable and meaningful. This is a conversation that will inform you about the dynamics of gender-based violence, and can aid your understanding of how to best respond.

Thursday, June 24
12:00-12:45 p.m. CST
Speakers:  Lori Flohaug, Cami Inforzato
Moderated by: Cheryl Thomas, Executive Director GRW

One in three women globally will experience some form of gender-based violence in her lifetime.  Given that statistic there’s a high likelihood someone you know is in an abusive relationship. Social pressure to “just leave” is usually not helpful, but often what people think should happen first. Family lawyer and former tribal judge Lori Flohaug, and Cami Inforzato, survivor and women’s group leader from the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, share their experiences with helping women navigate the complexities of leaving and surviving abusive situations.  Their powerful insights about the barriers survivors face, and how designing and implementing local solutions–from the courts, families, concerned friends, and other systems providing assistance–can have a global impact.

Thursday, April 8
12:00-12:30 p.m. CST
Speakers: Sarah Super, Survivor and Advocate & Lori Greene, Mosaic Artist
Moderated by: Patricia Cumbie, Communications Manager of GRW

Sarah Super and Lori Greene had a vision to create the first memorial to sexual assault survivors on Boom Island Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  They wanted to create a place that invited action, engagement, and remembering. Hear their powerful stories about why they created the Survivors Memorial, and how its creation has changed their lives and impacted legions of survivors.

Thursday, April 29
12:00-12:45 p.m. CST
Speakers: Jess Braverman, Andrea Jenkins, Erin Maye Quade
Moderated by: Cheryl Thomas, Executive Director of GRW

Addressing harmful gender norms is critical to ensuring all people are viewed as equals with rights to privacy, freedom, employment, education, health, safety and justice. Legal advocate Jess Braverman and advocacy director Erin Maye Quade from Gender Justice, and Andrea Jenkins, who made history as the first African American openly trans woman to be elected to office in the United States, are leading voices in LGBTQ liberation. Their stories of resilience and courage counter dehumanizing narratives that deny LGBTQ people their human rights. Their inclusive actions and barrier-breaking achievements will inspire you to ensure everyone lives in a community free from violence.

Tuesday, May 18
12:00-12:30 p.m. CST
Speakers: Rosario de la Torre, Comfort Dondo
Moderated by: Vanesa Diaz, Martin O. Sabo Fellow Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota

Abuse is a significant problem for all women, and immigrant women globally are particularly vulnerable. Economic and social factors, including immigration status, are challenges to reporting violence or seeking necessary services. Rosario de la Torre, legal advocate at Casa de Esperanza, and Phumulani shelter founder, Comfort Dondo, are mobilizing to protect Latina and African immigrant women by creating bilingual shelters, and survivor support through both legal action and culturally-specific community engagement, including tea ceremonies and listening sessions. Rosario and Comfort model how to lift up all women experiencing violence by sharing their innovative solutions grounded in community realities.