AVONDALE, Arizona – On Thursday, February 11, 2016, Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC), a Maricopa Community College, will participate in the One Billion Rising Revolution, a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls. The 2016 campaign theme is “Listen, Act, Rise.”
The free event is from 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., in the Ceremonial Plaza Amphitheatre on the EMCC campus, located at 3000 N. Thomas Rd. in Avondale. The public is welcome and all attendees are encouraged to wear red and black to symbolize the campaign’s cause.
In addition to guest speakers, exhibits and activities, the event features the unified dance as the impassioned demonstration of coalition. The dance will be performed several times during the morning, starting at 9:00 a.m. through 12:45 p.m. Guests will be invited to learn and join the dance activity.
One Billion Rising began in 2013 as a call-to-action based on the staggering statistic that one in three women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at seven billion, this adds up to more than one billion women and girls.
“Violence against a woman is violence against her children and her whole community” says Dr. Olga Tsoudis, EMCC sociology faculty and event organizer.
EMCC was one of the charter sites for the 2013 event, and felt it was important to continue being a resource for social change by joining the many other One Billion Rising event sites around the world.
The song “Break the Chain” was written and produced by Tena Clark and Tim Heintz, and the accompanying dance was choreographed by the award-winning Debbie Allen, both created specifically to support this global campaign.
There will also be a donation drive for the New Life Center, a refuge from domestic violence in Goodyear that provides shelter, safety and services to families seeking independent, violence-free lives. Requested items include baby/infant items, personal care items, bedding, laundry soap, paper products and non-perishable food.