Posts by Laura Penney-Edwards
Sexism, Violence, and Double Standards on display at the Oscars
We know Hollywood is not immune to expressions of violence. We see headlines of behavior on and off screen that speak to our culture’s systemic issues of sexual assault and domestic violence. To the former: yes, art is subjective and is a reflection of our culture. And to that end, we have seen it become…
Read MoreThe Power of Prevention
Moving Upstream Maybe you’ve heard the prevention parable, “Moving Upstream.” In the story, a person fishing in a river sees a person being carried downstream, struggling for life. They pull that person out, but more and more people keep being carried downstream, needing to be rescued. Exhausted from constantly pulling people out of the river,…
Read MoreIn it for More than Hot Chocolate — Deepening our Connection to the Work of Safe Passage
My first Hot Chocolate Run for Safe Passage was a walk. It was a walk with one kid in a stroller, another reluctantly walking. And snacks, lots of snacks. We were all bundled up, surrounded by a crowd, wondering whether we’d make it the two miles (we would, we knew we would, but small kids…
Read MoreImmigration and Isolation: How the Realities of Immigration Create Additional Barriers to Safety and Support for Survivors
Isolation is central to the experience of domestic violence and relationship abuse. Survivors are often slowly removed from friends, family, and community connections as a way to remove support and resources as violence escalates. For survivors who are also immigrants, the experience of isolation is multiplied as they find themselves in an entirely new culture…
Read MoreSeeking Safety in an Inaccessible World: Supporting Survivors with Disabilities in our Community
We do not live in a world with universal design. That means that for many members of our community, participating in basic activities like commuting to work or accessing public services are not as simple as it is for others. Survivors of domestic violence who have disabilities experience additional barriers to safety and service because…
Read MoreTechnology Rules: Ways to Increase Tech Safety for Survivors (and us all)
Technology is an essential part of our lives. This fact has been made abundantly clear over the last two years as we all faced a shift to virtual reality for multiple facets of our lives. For many of us, making the shift resulted in the stress of learning new technologies and extreme zoom fatigue. For…
Read MoreJoin The Movement to Create Safety for LBGTQ+ Youth: Being a Trusted Adult Ally after the Parades End
LBGTQ+ youth deserve to know that they are loved, valued, that they matter, and that they are not alone. This is true every single day of the year, and this June in honor of Pride month, we want to take special care to remind our community that LBGTQ+ youth need reliable adults and allies in their lives who can help create experiences of safety and support young people in building healthy relationships
Read More#TDVAM2021: Supporting Teens is a Community Effort
For many of us, our first meaningful relationships happen in our teenage years. Disturbingly, 1 in 3 teens experiencing physical, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner (that’s 1.5 million high school students nationwide each year) with clearly demonstrated negative long-lasting effects. It is essential that organizations like Safe Passage and caring adults in…
Read MoreReflections on a Year of Pandemic
As we approach the month of March, we reflect on a year that has been full of grief, loss, change, discovery, and resilience. We have all navigated a new way of living as we continue to grapple with the multiple pandemics our community and country remain entrenched in: the pandemics of COVID, racism, white supremacy,…
Read MorePride 2020: Celebrations Change, Support for LBGTQ+ Survivors as Important as Ever
As we mark the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising this June — a month filled with protests demanding an end to police brutality against Black communities and uplifting Black Lives Matter — we recognize and honor the power of protest and organizing to create systemic social change. While this year’s Pride looks different than…
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