After several months of planning, the night had finally arrived. All of New York City’s elite were in attendance and Damita hoped that would go a long way to raise not only awareness of domestic violence, but also to raise money to continue the fight against it. She made her way to the podium to introduce a very special guest; one she hadn’t seen in three years.
“For the past three years I have done all that I can to educate the public about the devastating effects of domestic violence on all of our communities. Now, I stand before you asking that we all take up the fight together. Above and beyond the moral impact of domestic violence upon our society, there are also financial and legal components that impact us all, whether or not we are direct victims. Before I introduce my next guest, I would like to share with you some statistics concerning domestic violence.”
Damita glanced at a sheet of paper and began to read.
“According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, domestic violence is the third leading cause of homelessness among families. Here, in New York City, twenty-five percent of homeless heads of household became homeless due to domestic violence. In addition, domestic violence contributes to poor health for many survivors. For example, chronic conditions like heart disease can become more serious due to domestic violence. Also, without help, boys who witness domestic violence are far more likely to become abusers of their partners and children as adults. Finally, domestic violence costs more than thirty-seven billion dollars a year in law enforcement involvement, legal work, medical and mental health treatment and lost productivity at work. So, anyone who believes that domestic violence is someone else’s problem is kidding themselves.
“The person I am about to welcome to the stage understands all too well the long-standing impact of domestic violence. I’d like to introduce to you my sister and my friend, Sandra Jones.”
Sandra had been Constance to Damita for such a long time it felt foreign to call her anything other than that. However, the realization that the moment her friend was able to return to being Sandra Jones was the moment she was truly free, helped Damita to embrace her actual name.
She joined Damita on the podium and the two women embraced. As Damita left the stage, Sandra blew her a kiss.
“Thank you all for coming,” Sandra began.
“Before I tell you my story, there’s one thing everyone here needs to be aware of. Domestic violence can happen to anyone, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or income—”