Help End Domestic Violence by Voting for Barack Obama and Joe Biden!

It was truly an honor for me to nominate Senator Biden as our country’s next Vice-President at the Democratic National Convention in August, but more importantly I was honored to represent the victims of Domestic Violence – to give a voice to their cries and to develop a relationship with a team of leaders who not only hear us, but welcome us and our ideas for change in the White House!

Each year we set aside the month of October to reflect on Domestic Violence. During this month we bring into light the dark secret that plagues many of our communities: violence against women. Shockingly, one million women each year are victims of domestic abuse and 40-50% of all female murders are related to domestic violence. Approximately 300,000 pregnant women in this country are victims of domestic violence -- making domestic abuse more common to them than pre-gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia. Children who witness domestic violence are often abused as well and are more likely to exhibit depression, anxiety and violence towards peers. These children often grow up to continue the violent cycle that they have observed.

Domestic violence also has devastating impacts on our economy. The cost to treat victims of domestic abuse and apprehend and prosecute predators alone exceeds $1 billion annually. Violence against women also affects the labor market. Studies have found that up to 85% of domestic violence victims have missed work due to abuse, while as many as 50% of domestic violence victims have lost a job due to the impact of that abuse. According to the Bureau of National Affairs, domestic violence also costs employers between $3-$5 billion annually in the form of increased health care costs, absenteeism, reduced productivity and increased security costs.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden know these facts and hear our cries for real help and change. Domestic Violence isn’t a topic that they are willing to push to the side just because it’s not popular. Senator Obama introduced legislation in the U.S. Senate to provide $25 million a year to domestic violence prevention and victim support efforts. Senator Biden stood for women at a time that it was not popular to say enough is enough when he authored and passed the landmark Violence Against Women Act in 1994. In an appalling slap to victims of domestic violence everywhere, Senator McCain voted against this life saving bill. He even voted against funding that would help children who witnessed domestic abuse get the counseling they need. As an Illinois state senator, Barack Obama also sponsored and passed a landmark law that provides economic protections to victims of domestic violence so they don’t lose their jobs or face financial penalties due to this abuse.

Senators Obama and Biden have a deep commitment to this issue and will continue to make domestic violence prevention a priority in their administration and support those of us at the grassroots level working to eradicate domestic abuse from our society.

Dr Witney Rose As a family member of a victim of domestic violence, I know firsthand the devastating effects this abuse can have. My sister Witney and I never experienced abuse and lived an uncomplicated life free of any violence. Our family believed in service, a quality education and giving back to communities in need. Witney and I vowed that we would somehow make a difference in the violent stricken community of Baltimore City. Witney took the path of earning her medical degree at Hahnemann University and I decided to become an educator. Upon returning to Baltimore to practice Psychiatry at the University of Maryland, Witney became involved in a relationship that would play out much like a television mini-series. A young, beautiful and gifted woman, Witney volunteered to help AIDS patients, offered her services to the Mayor of Baltimore as a task force member of the Substance Abuse Program and counseled many for free. She was stalked and soon after murdered at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. She was only 34 years old.

Eventually her murderer was captured and prosecuted. The Baltimore community had lost a friend and a true gift. Hundreds of mourners braved a winter snow storm to attend her funeral. They vowed to educate the public about Domestic Violence and committed to keep Witney’s spirit alive and bright as a Beacon of Hope to all. I continue to fulfill the vow we once made – to make a difference. In the face of tragedy and sorrow, I have created a non-profit organization called Witney's Lights. This organization seeks to end domestic violence by offering informative workshops, advocacy services and a youth leadership institute.

YOU can help end domestic violence! Never before have we seen an election mean the difference between life and death. This election year, honor a victim of domestic violence by making your voice heard. Vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden, two leaders who have our best interest at heart. I will proudly be first in line on Election Day in honor of my sister, Witney. You see, this election is personal to me. Never have I encountered two candidates who cared as much about my personal story of Domestic Violence much less empower me to help bring the change we all need!

Quincy Lucas is Founder and President of Witney's Lights.

Submitted by Quincy Lucas (view blog

) on Thu, 10/23/2008 - 12:50pm

Posted In

Comments (8)

Twitter

Facebook

StumbleUpon

Comments

Such An Important Issue

Hi Ms. Lucas,

Thank you for such a heartfelt post about this very important issue. The greatest tribute to your late sister is if all women do whatever they can to stop the tragedy of domestic violence.

Megan

Megan Smith

BlogHer CE, TV/Online Video

My Personal Blog: Megan's Minute

Submitted by Megan Smith on Fri, 10/24/2008 - 07:32

Thank you for this post

At a former job we had an employee fund to support certain causes. Ending domestic violence was one. A director of a shelter came and spoke to us to tell us how our donations, fund raising and volunteering had helped changed women's lives. It was one of the most powerfully moving experiences I and many in the room ever had.

I know that working to end violence against women and supporting women who are victims makes a difference and saves lives. For this reason (and many others) I will be proud to cast my vote for Joe Biden and Barack Obama.

Thank you for sharing your sister's life with us and for the work you are doing to make a difference.

BlogHer Contributing Editor
PopConsumer
Beyond Help

Submitted by Maria Niles on Fri, 10/24/2008 - 18:29

Grass Roots Live webathon in protest of Sarah
Palin's policies

Hi Quincy,

Thank you so much for such an incredibly moving, and important post. Like you I am proud to cast my vote for Senators Obama and Biden, and like you I have a profound belief in the Obama/Biden ticket's capacity to create change.

That said, I believe that it is equally important, regardless of the outcome of this election, for women to raise up their voices in protest of the nomination of a candidate whose policies seek to undermine the basic civil rights that generations of American women have fought for.

To that end, this thursday, October 30th I am producing an 8 hour LIVE webathon, "Real Women Respond to Palin". Our webathon will bring a voice and human presence to women all over the country who have expressed their concern over the nomination of Sarah Palin.

The webathon can be watched anywhere, all you need is a computer, and is fully embeddable on any webpage or blog. We have a fully embeddable badge for your blog too.

I would so appreciate your support and hope you will pass it on! all the info can be found on our site, http://womenrespondtopalin.com

best,

Kathryn Jones

Submitted by KathrynJones on Sun, 10/26/2008 - 08:46

Thank You, Ms Lucas

Thank you for your thoughts, they me a lot to me and my family. Thank you for sharing your story.

Obama/Biden 2008

Submitted by Deb S on Fri, 10/31/2008 - 12:04

Thank You for Your Article!

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE

MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE

MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

For most of my adult life I've been involved in the issue of domestic violence / violence against women. The first thing I thought when Biden was nominated was that maybe, just maybe, the new (fingers crossed) Administration will pay some attention to this global epidemic that costs tax-payers and companies billions, and shatters lives for generations.

For the past six years, I've championed an organization called Second Chance Employment Services of Washington D.C., the nation's only no-fee, non-profit employment agency for victims of domestic violence. Being the first organization to take the official line that "economic empowerment is the key to a woman's ability to PERMANANTLY escape her abuser," Second Chance has found well-paying career-track jobs (with full health benefits) for over 500 women. A woman can't permanently escape her abuser without financial independence, and that boils down to a good job.

Your story is one more inspiration to me to keep fighting this fight!

DV Awareness Month Article at JWI:
"For Victims of Domestic Violence, Economic Empowerment Means A Good Job"
http://www.jwi.org/site/c.okLWJ3MPKtH/b.4496819/

Submitted by Regina Varolli on Fri, 10/31/2008 - 12:27

Second Chance Employment Services

For anyone interested in checking out another great organization...

http://scesnet.org

And sorry for all that babble-script in my last comment. Just don't know how to get rid of it!

Submitted by Regina Varolli on Fri, 10/31/2008 - 12:37

I remember

Dear Ms. Lucas, Every now and again, I perform my semi-annual google search about your sister. You see, I knew the man who harmed her. I found him to be a man of questionable character and a very pushy man. He was an opportunist and a seeker of social status and a privileged lifestyle by any means necessary. He showed himself early on when I met him through some other people. And though he tried to push himself onto me, I put up my arms and said, "No thanks." Men of questionable character and motives often show themselves to women early on. We see it, but we look away. There are always early warning signs. I hope that as you continue to speak out about domestic violence issues you will talk about these early warning signs that present in one form or another. Teach women to never try to handle it alone, as Witney did. Teach friends who witness any signs of trouble to call the police, do not back down as her cousin did despite what the woman says. Better to be safe than sorry. I had wondered what became of him. I am relieved to see in another link that he was sentenced to life in prison. I hope his 2005 conviction reversal does not disrupt his punishment. Your sister was a beautiful and accomplished woman. I pray that your organization helps to create more women like her through scholarships and education. I am deeply sorry for your loss and I wish you continued blessings in all your future work.

Submitted by peaceofmymind on Sun, 01/04/2009 - 23:48

my final comments

As I read your profile, which quoted Judge Turnbull calling the defendant, "glib," I find myself unphased. I am really not surprised at this characterization. He also sounded "glib" when speaking on the phone to a mutual person that we both know. He is a sociopath. Plain and simple. I would like to find more information about the case and I do not know if the docket is sealed. I am getting answers that I have waited for six years to receive.

Peace be unto you and your family.

Submitted by peaceofmymind on Sun, 01/04/2009 - 21:58