At red carpet events, interviewers often obsess over what designer a woman is wearing. Men are sometimes asked the same, but the questions and the camera fixate on the women. Such preoccupations, which are found throughout sports and entertainment, arise from a culture that sexualizes and objectifies women. It also contributes to a culture of pervasive (and often permitted) sexual harassment and assault. Holding figures such as Harvey Weinstein accountable is a good start,

On June 17, 2017, jurors in the Pennsylvania sexual assault trial of Bill Cosby reported that they were hopelessly deadlocked, and the judge declared a mistrial. The district attorney has already declared his intention to seek a retrial. At Blackburn Center, we stand behind all victims of sexual violence, and are heartened by the prosecutor's decision to seek justice for the women who were allegedly drugged and raped by Bill Cosby. Given the mistrial, we decided to rerun a p

Sociologist Michael Kimmel equates having privilege to running with wind at your back in that it enables you to move forward effortlessly without ever realizing it is there. Only when facing the wind, or lacking privilege, does the force of this oppressive wind become apparent. Coming from an economically impoverished inner city, ideas of privilege, particularly male privilege, were foreign to me. I was too consumed with the ways that I was economically oppressed to consider

Although I have never had the opportunity to be a part of a locker room with the “rich and famous,” I have been in my fair share of locker rooms over the years. I believe it is safe to say that Donald Trump’s attempt at covering his tracks by claiming that the glorification of his own sexually assaultive behavior was simply “locker room talk” is not only repugnant, it is undeniably wrong. What Mr. Trump is suggesting is that locker rooms across this country are filled with m

This originally was published in the Harrisburg Patriot-News on September 9, 2015. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a tragedy that shocks the conscience and rattles a community's sense of security and serenity. Shortly before noon on Labor Day, just outside a popular Mount Gretna ice cream parlor, Patrick Derr, 47, of Richland, fatally shot h

I walk because I want others to know I am there for them when they are ready to talk and they are not alone in their struggle. Too many feel they are isolated, and they need to know they are loved and respected. Why do YOU walk? ————————————————————————————- Please note that the views expressed by guest bloggers represent their own personal views, and not necessarily those of Blackburn Center. Learn More: Register for an Event Guest Bloggers Volunteer Donate #guestbloggers #

We walk together in honor of a friend who was a victim of domestic violence. It has been three years since he brutally took her life. We walk to remember her, to honor her, and to spread the message that domestic violence is an issue that we, as a society, cannot tolerate any longer. ————————————————————————————- Please note that the views expressed by guest bloggers represent their own personal views, and not necessarily those of Blackburn Center. Learn More: Register for an

Maybe you have heard a little bit about this new group in the community called FAB. Maybe you've been curious but were not sure what to ask. Maybe you were not sure if you were welcome to just invite yourself. Well, here's your formal invitation to find out, ask more, and come join us. Because we are looking for a few new people to join our group! So, what is FAB? Roughly two years ago, Blackburn Center received a grant from The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County’s g

I walk for my mom, Mariann Clark. She was an education specialist at Blackburn Center and truly believed in her work. She taught my brother and I that violence in any form is not "ok". My mother had a passion for educating people of all ages and although it was weird to have her visit in my high school classes, I had many classmates compliment her education style and how they thought about domestic violence in a different way after hearing her speak. Walk A Mile In Her Shoes

Each year, our Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event gets bigger, from a few hundred walkers in 2010 to close to 1,000 in 2014 (and hopefully, closer to 1,500 walkers in 2015!). We have such amazing community support, and are incredibly grateful that so many of you have embraced this cause. Our walkers are a diverse bunch — from collegiate student-athletes to parents to medical students to business owners to young children to grandparents to roller derby teams, we have an entire s

During the spring semester of 2014, I taught Introduction to Gender and Women’s Studies. I had twenty-four students; only four of them were men. This semester I am teaching a course on feminist theory. I have fourteen students, none of whom are men. Also, our feminist collective meetings on campus are seldom attended by men, although several men have taken a positive interest in our collective’s Facebook page. While it is understandable that women would be attentive to women’

Welcome, 2015! At Blackburn Center, we are excited to begin a new year, with all of the promise of new beginnings. Our resolution for the new year is simple: to continue in our mission to advocate for the rights of all individuals to live free from domestic and sexual violence in their homes and communities, by eliminating the root causes of this violence and providing for the well-being and safety of survivors/victims. We also plan to expand our outreach efforts through o