CBS Atlanta 46

May 8, 2013

The Ally Breakfast is an opportunity for men to learn and exchange ideas about building a safer community for women and girls.

For more info, contact Sulaiman Nuriddin via email Snuri@menstoppingviolence.org or at 404-270-9894, ext. 24

Event date and time
May 8, 2013
7:30am – 9:00am

What You Will Receive

* Men At Work Instructors’ Manual
* Men At Work Students’ Manual
* Men At Work Facilitation Training
* Men At Work Curriculum Implementation Training

This training has been approved by the Georgia Commission on Family Violence for 20 FVIP hours.

For your convenience, in terms of price and location, MSV recommends the Downtown Decatur Courtyard for your stay. The Downtown Decatur Courtyard is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Decatur and is within walking distance from a diverse array of restaurants and shops.

Training Cost
$495: Includes three-day training, a students’ manual, and an instructors’ manual. An $800 value!

Registration
Please contact Lee Giordano at 404.270.9894.

In honor of Father’s Day, Lee Giordano and Sulaiman Nuriddin will outline Men Stopping Violence’s Because We Have Daughters program in a webinar hosted by the FaithTrust Insitute.

For information about registering for the webinar contact Lee Giordano.  For more information about Because We Have Daughters check out the video and information below.

For many years, violence against women has been seen as a “women’s issue” but is a human issue. The question is, “Why would men want to get involved in ending violence against women?” The answer is, “because they have daughters.” Men have daughters, sisters, friends, mothers, co-workers and other women in their lives who men want to be safe but they do not have the skills or tools to help create that safety.

Men Stopping Violence (MSV) created the Because We Have Daughters® (BWHD) initiative in 2005 to give men an opportunity to begin providing those safety skills.

As a beginning step, BWHD provides a unique opportunity for fathers to learn about their daughters’ realities by sharing fun and educational activities, followed by discussions about any insights they gained from the activities. MSV believes that this helps men understand what it would be like for their daughters, and all women, to live fully and freely without fear of violence.

For more information about the event, see the press release below.

January 18, 2013

The 2013 Bayard Rustin/Audre Lorde Breakfast will be held Monday, January 21st 10am at St. Mark United Methodist Church, 781 Peachtree St Atlanta, GA 30308. The breakfast honors these two highly influential activists, provides space for fellowship, and enhances progressive coalition building among LGBTQ people and our allies working for social justice. In 2012, co-founders Craig Washington and Darlene Hudson received the Phillip Rush Community Builder Award from Georgia Equality for their leadership of this event.

The theme for the 2013 Bayard Rustin/Audre Lorde Breakfast, Re-Imagining the Dream, represents the significance of collectively owning and working to achieve the modern dream for freedom and equality.  The program will feature the history and current organizing within Black LGBTQ and people of color communities.  Participants will learn more about the critical challenges we face, identify key local resources, and develop organizing goals to address these challenges. “We trust that it will motivate more ownership and envisioning of today’s dream for social justice and equality for today’s progressive LGBTQ people and our allies, our beloved community,” Washington said.

In the tradition of Bayard Rustin, Audre Lorde and Martin Luther King Jr, progressive LGBTQ people in the South must chart and mobilize toward a great dream that recognizes our bodies, our souls, our common vision and our shared values. “The Rustin/Lorde Breakfast has become a symbol of what it means for diverse communities to come together to discuss the social challenges of today, ideas about how we face those challenges, and to share our accomplishments and hopes for the future,” said Hudson.

Following the breakfast, participants will join the Martin Luther King Jr March and Rally by gathering at the line-up site on the northeast corner of Peachtree and Ellis streets (same side as Ritz Carlton) at 1:45pm. The MLK March and Rally kicks off at 2pm. Immediately following the march, the rally will be held on Auburn Avenue in the King National Park Area.  Cortez Wright, Communications & Development Associate for SPARK Reproductive Health NOW will serve as our honorary LGBTQ Grand Marshal and speaker at the MLK rally.

The breakfast is handicap accessible. Interpreters will be present to those who are deaf or hearing impaired. The visually impaired can also request the program prior to the event.  For more information about the 2013 Bayard Rustin/Audre Lorde Breakfast, go to our 2013 Rustin/Lorde Breakfast Facebook page.

Sponsors and Community Partners: AID Atlanta/Evolution Project, Atlanta Pride, Juxtaposed Transformation Center, EM Designs Group, Georgia Safe Schools Coalition,  Greater Than AIDS/Georgia Department of Public Health, Phillip Rush Center,  Project South,  St Mark United Methodist Church, Stonewall Bar Association, Unity Fellowship Church, The Health Initiative, &Georgia Equality.  Promotional Partners: Meak Productions, TRAXX and TRAXX Girls

“We need, in every community, A group of angelic trouble makers”  - Bayard

Men Stopping Violence (MSV) created the Because We Have Daughters® (BWHD) initiative in 2005 to give men an opportunity to begin providing those safety skills.

As a beginning step, BWHD provides a unique opportunity for fathers to learn about their daughters’ realities by sharing fun and educational activities, followed by discussions about any insights they gained from the activities. MSV believes that this helps men understand what it would be like for their daughters, and all women, to live fully and freely without fear of violence.

A BWHD Day, a four hour session, begins with everyone in a circle, playfully getting to know each other and finding out what the day holds. This is followed by the fathers and daughters separating in order to talk about and prepare for the fun activities ahead. The activities fall into one of four categories: shared tasks – like building a bridge – performance, physical games, or arts and crafts. Each activity is designed to help demonstrate the core values of BWHD. The day ends with reflection, appreciation and snacks.

To learn more, contact Bernard Ellis at 404.270.9894.

For more important analysis of the incident, check out Goldie Taylor’s article from The Goldie Taylor Project and Robin Boylorn’s article from the Crunk Feminist Collective Blog.

This was also an opportunity for MSV to learn about some of the great but difficult work being done in their communities. Hearing about how complicated it is to hold men accountable for male violence against women in the context of an occupation was particularly impactful. MSV appreciates the efforts of the International Visitor Leadership Program in bringing this group together.

• Actress KeKe Palmer to present Youth Awards

• 25 Winners selected from 177 nominations

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 28 , 2012 – Ford Motor Company today announced winners of the Ford Freedom Unsung Award, celebrating individuals who have made significant contributions in their communities. Honorees will be recognized for their outstanding achievements at the Academy of Medicine at Georgia Institute of Technology on Dec. 7.

Made possible by a grant from Ford Motor Company Fund, Ford Freedom Unsung salutes and honors everyday people and organizations that have positively impacted communities and whose achievements serve to enlighten and inspire others.

“Ford is proud to honor the contributions of others who go above and beyond to positively impact communities, but are often not recognized for what they do,” said Pamela Alexander, director of Community Development, Ford Motor Company Fund. “Whether it is a mother who tutors children, a brother who sacrificed years serving his country, a neighbor who leads a nonprofit organization or a father who dedicated his life to serving the homeless, unsung heroes surround us every day and look for nothing in return.”

Ford is launching this new national program in Atlanta as part of its ongoing commitment to honor distinguished Americans who dedicate their lives to improving the community where they live and the world at large. Award categories include Community, Education, Military, Youth and Organization.

”The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is honored to partner with the Ford Motor Company in presenting these awards to 25 very deserving persons.  What we have learned from studying the American Civil Rights Movement and human rights movements across the globe is that every day people who decide to do extraordinary things do indeed change the world.  These are change agents in our own backyard and we thank them for their service and commitment to the community, “ said Deborah J. Richardson, Executive Vice President, National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Awarding-winning actress KeKe Palmer will serve as youth ambassador for the Ford Freedom Unsung program. KeKe is not only known for her outstanding career in entertainment, but also for her ongoing commitment to youth issues such as bullying prevention. Palmer joins others lending their support to this effort in presenting the awards.

In honor of their contributions to their community, the 2012 Ford Freedom Unsung –Atlanta Edition awards will be given to twenty-five recipients including Ulester Douglas, Associate Director of Men Stopping Violence.

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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 172,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

 The National Center for Civil and Human Rights (civilandhumanrights.org) will display The Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection, the award-winning Without Sanctuary lynching exhibit and the Benny Andrews John Lewis Collection. The Center will serve as a hub for ongoing dialogue, attracting world-renowned speakers and artists who work on a variety of human rights topics. Located in Downtown Atlanta at Pemberton Place and equipped with broadcast and event space, the Center will host civil and human rights conversations among scholars, organizations and the public.

Atlanta, GA—Today, Eesha Pandit, Executive Director of Men Stopping Violence was named by the NoVo Foundation as one of 20 new leaders selected to join its groundbreaking Move to End Violence program, a 10-year, $80 million program to strengthen leaders and organizations, and build a breakthrough movement to end violence against girls and women in the United States.

“These leaders have shown incredible vision and courage in their day-to-day work, confronting violence, abuse, rape and trafficking of women and girls in their communities,” said Jennifer Buffett, President and Co-Chair of the NoVo Foundation. “The Move to End Violence program is an effort to honor their bold leadership and harness their potential to create the change needed so that girls and women can live free of violence.”

Leaders selected for the program participate in an intensive, two-year experience that includes time for essential, big-picture conversations; the opportunity to sharpen their vision and develop a strategy to get there; skills-building sessions to advance social change and advocacy skills; and a strong emphasis on self-care and empowerment. Leaders’ organizations also receive general support grants and technical assistance to advance organizational development.

“I am honored and delighted to be a part of the Move to End Violence’s second cohort of Movement Makers. It is crucial that leaders in the movement to end violence against women and girls come together to think strategically and work together to create safe homes and communities,” says Pandit.  She adds, “The NoVo Foundation, through the Move to End Violence program, is making a significant commitment to this movement by facilitating deep and lasting impact toward the goal of ending violence against women and girls.”

Men Stopping Violence (MSV) is a social change organization dedicated to ending men’s violence against women. When MSV opened its doors in 1982, there was little being done to engage men in preventing violence against women and to change the behavior of men who battered women. Over the past 30 years, MSV has educated more than a million people about creating community change, given over 60,000 men the tools to change their abusive behavior, developed and offered proven programs to facilitate a change from intervention to prevention. MSV believes that in the movement to end violence against women, men’s engagement is not only valuable, it is vital. Over the years, we have been joined by other individuals and organizations that call for men to become involved in the work of ending male violence against women – and we continue to work and build with our colleagues around the country and the world.

Over ten years, the Move to End Violence program will connect and strengthen hundreds of advocates and organizations, investing in a national network of committed leaders with the vision, skills and renewed energy necessary to reinvigorate efforts to end violence against girls and women. The NoVo Foundation will also consider funding a select number of collaborative campaigns that will be designed by program participants, chosen for promising potential to create meaningful change.

“We are delighted to name Eesha Pandit and Men Stopping Violence as partners in this effort,” said Jackie Payne, Move to End Violence director. “We look forward to supporting her and the other ‘Movement Makers’ as they develop bold new strategies to confront violence and create lasting change for women and girls.”

More information on the Move to End Violence program is available at www.movetoendviolence.org. More information about Men Stopping Violence is available at www.menstoppingviolence.org.