We want to send a HUGE thank you to everyone who seized the moment, contacted their representatives, and ROSE for VAWA! The inclusive, bi-partisan Senate version of the Violence Against Women Act passed today and it would not have been possible without YOUR support, outrage, emails, flash mobs, tweets, posts, events, telephone calls, leadership, and action!
Our heartfelt thanks to all the women’s leaders and groups who worked to make this happen. Special shout out to our One Billion Rising/NOW coordinator Pat Reuss!
NEXT UP: RISE for International Women’s Day, 8 March!
Our dance steps on 14 February shook the world. And this week our action steps helped pass VAWA in the House. Now let’s continue this momentum and use the power of ONE BILLION RISING to celebrate International Women’s Day and focus our strength on issues affecting women and girls on a local level.
We inviteyou all to find out what local issues could benefit from your One Billion Rising energy and create an action that brings attention to ending violence against women in your community.
Keep your dancing shoes on and create a flashmob to raise awareness about FGM, turn those dance steps into action steps and tackle local legislation, hold a fundraiser for a local organization or service, there are so many ways that you can get out and RISE on International Women’s Day.
The energy from ONE BILLION RISING continues with immediate action steps!
This week the House of Representatives will be voting on their version of the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
Women’s groups, advocates, and survivors have worked to show support for the inclusive, bipartisan Senate-passed bill, S. 47, and are asking House members to oppose the alternate version which will be brought to the House floor for a vote as early as THIS WEDNESDAY! Our work is far from over.
The alternate version of VAWA falls short of our goals for VAWA. Action must be taken this week to show support for the INCLUSIVE, SENATE PASSED version.
WHY this is important for students, parents and alumna:
The alternate version of VAWA drops important provisions in the Senate bill including provisions to strengthen protections and security for students on college campuses. It also drops the Senate-passed initiative to erase rape kit backlogs and other provisions found in the SAFER Act.
This new version also fails by:
Dropping the reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act;
Omitting the Senate-passed LGBT provisions;
Providing non-tribal batterers with additional tools to delay and frustrate swift justice in tribal court systems; gratuitously restricting existing tribal authority to issue civil orders of protection against all abusers – which is currently the only local recourse Native women have against non-Indian abusers;
Weakening the ability of the Office on Violence Against Women to serve as the effective hub for carrying out VAWA’s mission.
Starting TODAY, we are encouraging you to flood your representative’s telephone lines and email inboxes with messages of support for S. 47, the inclusive, bipartisan Senate-passed version of VAWA and the demand that they vote against the House Republican leadership’s imitation VAWA.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
CONTACT Your Representative! Feminist Majority has made it super simple to contact your representative, just enter your zip code and you’re halfway there! CONTACT >
V-Day is creating a ONE BILLION RISING documentary project, and we are looking to include footage and high resolution photos of local events from all over the world.
If you filmed or photographed your event, we would love to see!
We will need the highest resolution files available shared with us via Dropbox. These can be RAW footage, edited pieces, single photographs or folders with multiple images.
If your event imagery is chosen for the final ONE BILLION RISING documentary, you will be notified and credited, so make sure to include your full name as you wish to be credited and your contact details!
ONE BILLION RISING was the largest global action in history to end violence against women and girls, and, with your help, the world will see inside the ONE BILLION RISING activities that took place all over the planet!
If you do not have access to Dropbox, please email film@vday.org
February 14th might be over but ONE BILLION RISING has only begun! Now is the time to harness the power of your activism to change the world.
Let’s start by getting the Senate version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to the House floor for a vote!
On February 12th, the Senate passed S. 47, a strong, inclusive bill to reauthorize the landmark Violence Against Women Act. It is this bipartisan Senate version of VAWA that we now need the House of Representatives to bring the to the House floor for a vote.
We are calling on all of our U.S based activists to RISE for VAWA and we have a simple 2 week plan, with the aim to get VAWA passed by International Women’s Day on March 8th.
THIS Week:
Organize an event in your communities! Your representatives are currently at home and they need to see the support and feel the pressure of their constituents. You can do this event anywhere and the event can be anything:
You’ve already got your dancing shoes on so hold a RISE for VAWA flash mob!
Hold a rally in a public space (town square, local mall, town hall etc) and invite local activists to speak about the importance of VAWA and ending violence against women and girls
Protest outside of government offices and buildings
Hold a concert, open mic night, theatrical production, etc to support VAWA and those working to get it passed
Any of these options and more will help highlight the support for VAWA in your community.
NEXT Week:
Starting on Monday February 25th, your representatives will be back in Washington D.C. We are urging you ALL to flood their telephone lines and email inboxes with messages of support for VAWA. MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
CONTACT Your Representative! Feminist Majority has made it super simple to contact your representative, just enter your zip code and you’re halfway there! CONTACT >
No matter where you are, in a week we will rise together as one.With the addition of Laos, Liberia, Monaco, and Palestine, we are now up to 197 countries and territories taking part in what will be the largest global day of action the world has ever seen.In seven days, starting in Samoa, the sun will rise on 14 February, kicking off 48 hours worldwide of striking, dancing, and rising. To send you into your final week of preparations, we share this special video message from Eve:
There’s still time to join an event or start a One Billion Rising event in your area, and we’ve got tools and tips to help you. And remember, there’s no wrong way to rise on the 14th!
Dance & Invite Your Friends to DANCE! There are so many universal songs people are dancing to for One Billion Rising! We have music from Delhi, to the Philippines, to the United Arab Emirates. So listen, stream, download, and dance! Dance anywhere, forget structure, just dance! Dance with drums, DJ’s, anytime of day, in your living room, in your wheelchair, or on the bus or in front of parliament or in the hallways of your workplace. Be bold, daring, disruptive!
Do A Flash Mob! Flash mobs are a great way to get people who don’t know about One Billion Rising to stop, watch, and ask questions about what is happening and why you are dancing. Here are some great One Billion Rising Flash Mobs and instructional videos from all over the world! – JAAGO DILLI JAAGO! Instructional Video for the Flash Mob Choreography >
Wear Red & Black! Dress in One Billion Rising colors to let people know you are part of a movement!!
Strike – Moment of Solidarity. Choose a time during the day to take a moment, join together with your colleagues, fellow students, family members, and friends, and leave your workplaces, schools, and homes and be together as one.
On 14 February 2013, we want to SHOW THE WORLD WHAT ONE BILLION RISING LOOKS LIKE and we need your help! SHARE your event with the world and us via social media.
The excitement is building every minute through each new person that you’ve connected to with the message of ONE BILLION RISING.
On 14 February onebillionrising.org will turn into a live arena, streaming the world of ONE BILLION RISING! Following the 14, we’ll be compiling footage from events all over the world for an exciting new documentary about the movement.
NOW is the time to start making your plans to document your event, share your videos, photos, live stream, written updates and stories, tweets, Facebook posts, etc. WE WANT IT ALL!
Documenting your events is VERY IMPORTANT, this is how we can SHOW THE WORLD WHAT ONE BILLION RISING LOOKS LIKE! Please use video (cameras, cell phones, computers etc.) and photos and SHARE them with us via social media.
LET THE WORLD SEE YOU RISING!
We are calling on every single one of you to DOCUMENT and LIVE STREAM your RISING if possible.
To keep things as simple as possible we have created a “How To” with simple instructions on how to share your rising with the world. We’ve partnered with Google and YouTube to make streaming your event really easy, as well as providing options for the more ambitious amongst you. And who knows? If we see your event streaming on the 14th it might be added to the onebillionrising.org homepage along with other fantastic content coming in from around the globe! Picture live footage of your event next to footage from events in Sydney, Bukavu, Istanbul, Manila, New York, Oahu, and thousands more locations.
SHARING your Rising is an important aspect of your event. By connecting your actions visually online with those in 197 countries we will truly SHOW THE WORLD WHAT ONE BILLION LOOKS LIKE!
We understand not all locations have high enough bandwidth to support live streaming. However we still want you to document your event and share it via social media AS YOUR EVENT IS HAPPENING.
Also, V-Day is creating a ONE BILLION RISING documentary project, and we are looking to include footage of local events from all over the world, so please take video (cameras, cell phones, computers, etc.) and photos of your events.
Can you feel it? Flashmobs, Marches, Zumba, Rallies, Dance Actions, Sit-ins, Strikes – ONE BILLION people will rise and the earth is already starting to shake!
WATCH: “I Am Rising…: Anoushka Shankar” Anoushka Shankar is a renowned musician and composer. She recorded this personal and poignant message from her home in London and we hope you all will watch it!
On Monday, February 4th there will be a ONE BILLION RISING kick-off celebration in London: V-Day Board member Thandie Newton will be performing alongside Eve Ensler and Grammy nominated World Music artist Anoushka Shankar in “LONDON RISING” at Cafe De Paris, Leicester Square London 8pm. FIND out more & get tickets here >
San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee is RISING! Mayor Lee will join District Attorney George Gascón, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, V-Day Executive Director Susan Celia Swan, Commission on the
Status of Women President Julie Soo, and Filipina Women’s Network
President Marily Mondejar at City Hall! CHECK it out at OneBillionRisingSF.org >
Bhutan is RISING! Women and girls in Bhutan are getting ready for their ONE BILLION RISING flash mob. WATCH them rehearse >
V-Day has partnered with Zumba Fitness! The global multimedia fitness leader and creator of the acclaimed Zumba® dance-fitness party is joining V-Day for a very special ONE BILLION RISING event in downtown Los Angeles at LA Live’s Nokia Plaza. This electrifying party, will get Los Angeles rising and dancing with special guests including V-Day Board Member, activist, and Academy Award winner Jane Fonda, Academy Award winner Kathy Bates, and celebrity Zumba Instructor Gina Grant. FIND out more here >
Breman organizers have created this great new video to highlight their activities on 14 February! “”One Billion Rising” Aktion auf dem Bremer Marktplatz am 14.02.13 von 16.00 – 17.00 Uhr. 1 Milliarde steht auf und tanzt gegen Gewalt an Frauen fuer Wertschaetzung und Selbstbestimmung. Organisation Bremen: Edda Lorna und Prisca Samani. Filmemacher: Hacky Hackbarth.” WATCH here >
Maya Azucena, Morley, DJ Beverly Bond, Suheir Hammad, Rosie Perez and more will take part in RISE NYC! This NYC finale celebration will take place at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, where Eve Ensler performed The Vagina Monologues and launched a global movement on Valentine’s Day 15 years ago. The free party will be a celebration of the rising all across the world. FIND out more & get tickets here >
Toronto City Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam is RISING! “Over 50% of Canadian women by the age of 16 will have experienced at least one incident of sexual or physical violence. Why Would You Not Take Action?” WATCH her I Am Rising…” video here >
Israel organizers have created their own campaign song! Check out these scenes from a flash-mob practice with original music by One Billion Rising Israel! WATCH here >
ONE BILLION RISING South Asia has released their New Delhi RISING teaser. CHECK it out here >
We are so moved to see all the men who have joined ONE BILLION RISING. So many of you, our brothers, fathers, grandfathers, sons, friends, husbands, and boyfriends have committed to RISE with us on 14 February.
This movement would not be possible without you. Violence against women and girls is a human issue that effects all of us, and it is only with you by our sides
that our goals will be realized.
When Eve met His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa at TED India, she was immediately inspired by his commitment to this movement to write a prayer – the Man Prayer. This piece, beautifully brought to life as a short film by Eve Ensler and filmmaker Tony Stroebel, is for all men and we hope all of you will watch it and share it with every man you know.
“An individual has not started living until he can RISE above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Today we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a person dedicated to equal rights and justice for all women and men, and someone who has inspired countless activists worldwide.
As we near our own RISING on 14 February, we are reminded through Dr. King’s words and legacy of the power that each one of us holds within us to create change. We encourage you all to remember this as you plan your rising in your community, and know that you are connected not just to a billion sisters and brothers around the world today, but the billions more who have come before us.
Join us as we celebrate these and the many other civil and human rights leaders and artists who are striking, dancing, and rising with us to end violence against women and girls.
We are 4 weeks away from the very first RISINGS! As the day rises in the east and continues across the Pacific Islands, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas, a billion will RISE and DANCE to end violence against women and girls!
Are you ready for your event on 14 February 2013?
Here are some ideas to help you plan:
READ Eve Ensler’s Newest Monologue “Rising”: Eve has just written a new piece which she composed during her recent travels in India, amidst the incredible uprising there. We envision this monologue as a beautiful addition to your event to motivate the participants to dance. DOWNLOAD “Rising” by Eve Ensler >
MAKE The One Billion Rising Pledge: One Billion Rising is the beginning of the new world ignited by a new energy. It is not the end of our struggle but the escalation of it. We are suggesting that everyone who rises makes a pledge to do one thing in the next year to end violence against women. Spread the word at your event and have all of your participants make the pledge! We believe a billion people will rise. Imagine a billion activated pledges. The One Billion Rising Pledge >
ORGANIZE A “Break The Chain” Flash Mob: “Break The Chain,” the One Billion Rising dance anthem, will be used in flash mobs all over the world! The legendary Debbie Allen has choreographed a simple dance sequence that you can learn with your fellow RISERS right from home!
WEAR Red & Black: We’re encouraging all RISERS to wear red and black in solidarity with our fellow One Billion Rising activists throughout the world, and those women and girls who could not be here to STRIKE, DANCE, and RISE with us.
A Moment of Solidarity: Choose a time during the day to take a moment, join together with your colleagues, fellow students, family members, and friends, and leave your workplaces, schools, and homes and be together as one. With the earth beneath you raise your hand in the air if you can for one minute. Stop everything, look around, and know you are a part of a worldwide movement of 1 billion people standing together in solidarity to end violence against women and girls.
