Annette McDonald, founder and chief executive officer of Access Family Services, speaks during a domestic violence awareness event in city hall. Behind her from left, are Mayor Dwane D. Warren, Council Vice President Weldon Montague III, Councilmember Jamie Summers Johnson and Council President Adrienne Wooten.
ORANGE — The city held a purple tree lighting and domestic violence awareness event at City Hall on Friday.
“We have to speak out against domestic violence against women because we have to speak it out of existence,” said Mayor Dwane D. Warren.
Council President Adrienne Wooten hosted the seventh annual event that was also attended by Council Vice President Weldon Montague III, Councilmember Jamie Summers Johnson, community members and advocates. The event’s purpose was to honor survivors, remember victims, and promote awareness in the ongoing fight against domestic violence.
“We want people out there to know we support you,” said Wooten, who talked about how domestic violence impacts everyone in the family, even pets.
Wooten said she and others have taken Green Dot training, which is a violence prevention strategy that trains individuals to become active bystanders when encountering a domestic violence situation.
The training teaches people how to recognize high-risk situations and respond safely, either in the moment or by taking proactive steps. It addresses various forms of power-based violence, including sexual assault, stalking, bullying and domestic violence, by empowering all community members, not just potential victims and perpetrators.
Johnson talked about the importance of getting information out to the public so that someone who is in an abusive relationship knows they don’t have to stay; that there is help out there.
The event in the city council chambers included lighting a tree that was adorned with purple lights and a guest speaker. The purpose of the tree is to remind residents that ending domestic violence requires community strength and shared responsibility. A tree in Military Park on Main Street is similarly lit in recognition of domestic violence.
“Each light represents a soul, a survivor, someone impacted by domestic violence,” Warren said.
The guest speaker was Annette McDonald, who is the founder and chief executive officer of Access Family Services, which is dedicated to the prevention of domestic violence. McDonald was a child witness to domestic violence and an adult survivor.
After mentioning that men too can be the victims of domestic violence and they should not be forgotten, McDonald talked about why people don’t leave an abusive relationship.
“Why doesn’t she leave, she doesn’t leave because of fear of being killed,” McDonald said, before telling a story about a woman she knew who wanted to leave a relationship but every time the subject came up in her home, a gun would appear on a table.
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