"V-Day Proclamation"
At our Thursday performance of "The Vagina Monologues" we were presented with the following proclamation. It will be proudly displayed in the Women's Studies Resource and Empowerment Center. We are especially grateful to Todd Shumpert who, through his position as a Commissioner on the Bloomfield Township Commission on Civil and Human Rights, was instrumental in encouraging the Mayor of Bloomfield to issue this statement
“V-Day”
Whereas, “V-Day” is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls for which annual theatrical and artistic events are produced around the world to raise money and transform consciousness generating a broader attentions for the fight to stop worldwise violence against women and girls; and
Whereas, violence against women does not distinguish between class, race, age, or locality. Women are beaten in thatched huts, back alleys, plush hotel suites, college dorms, high-rise apartments, and trailer parks. Women are sold into sexual slavery, burned with acids, and mutilated as little girls. Although the particular form of violence may vary from culture to culture, as a result, women soend most of their lives recovering from , resisting or surviving violence rather than creating and thriving, and
Whereas, the money raised through “V-Day” and on its behalf is directly donated to grassroots, national, and international organizations and programs that work to end rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery; and
Whereas, “V-Day” showcases the creativity of women through theatrical events and performances, “The Vagina Monologues” being at the centerpiece of these events;
Now, therefore, I, Raymond J. McCarthy, as mayor of the township of Bloomfield, hereby declare Bloomfield a Rape Free Zone and formally welcome “V-Day” to the Township of Bloomfield, this 13th day of February 2003.
