NCADV's 2020 national domestic violence conference, Recognizing (Y)Our Power, marked not only NCADV's 19th conference but also its 1st as a virtual event, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here's a roundup of some of our favorite moments from Recognizing (Y)Our Power.
On Surviving Domestic Violence ....
"There were signs I missed about control, emotional abuse, and coercion that I know about now but missed early on in our relationship." - Kate Ranta @ravinranta of @survivors_lead #PowerUp #SurvivorSpeaks
"I never saw myself as a victim of domestic violence, because I didn't know it was domestic violence." --Joy Ingram #PowerUp #SurvivorSpeaks
"Survivor stories are what will make changes." - Kate Ranta @ravinranta @survivors_lead #PowerUp #SurvivorSpeaks
"For survivors, pets may be the only source of unconditional love available to them." - Dr. Annie Valuska @Purina #PowerUp
On Resilience ...
"With each inhale, bring peace and calm to the rest of your day. With each exhale, release any tensions and let go of what is not serving you." -- Rachael Schauer, Violence Prevention Center #PowerUp
Rest is not the same as sleep! Rest and relaxation serve different purposes than sleep, and it's important to include both of them in your self-care routine. #PowerUp
"I want you to look in the mirror every day and tell yourself how valuable and important you are, how the world is a better place with you in it." -Rev. Sonja Andrews #PowerUp
On Reimagining Our Work ...
"What would a society look like where violence is not tolerated, so people can live in harmony without trauma and abuse in their day to day?" --Rev. Sonja Andrews #PowerUp
"It's important when working with survivors to avoid retraumatization." -- Rachael Joseph, @survivors_lead #PowerUp
"The survivors are the experts in what they are experiencing. We must allow them to continue to guide us in this way." - Rob Valente #PowerUp
“We have this massive problem of victim blaming and shaming within our systems. We also have a problem of holding abusers accountable for their actions." - Kate Ranta @ravinranta @survivors_lead #PowerUp #SurvivorSpeaks
On Disarming Domestic Violence ...
"The rate of killings by intimate partners using guns has been accelerating." - Ruhi Bengali, @Everytown
"80% of child victims of mass shootings died in incidents connected to domestic or family violence." - Ruhi Bengali, @Everytown #DVFacts #PowerUp #DisarmDV
On Our Nation’s Racial Reckoning
"When we say #BlackLivesMatter, we mean Black women too!" --Vetta Sanders-Thompson #PowerUp
"We're in the midst of a new racial reckoning. Here in the U.S., people are listening and really hearing for the first time about what Black Americans have been saying about white supremacy in hierarchies that we navigate daily." Natasha Tretheway, Keynote Speaker at #PowerUp