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’

Many people are afraid of the dark. We’ve all witnessed the fact that bad things happen when it’s dark outside. Some of us have security lights on the outside of our homes because we believe that light chases away bad people, and that light protects us from things that will hurt us. I’m sure that we’ve all witnessed “dark moments” in our lives when our spirits are low and when we’ve become discouraged. We can be left with a sense of darkness in our lives when bad things happe

This originally was published in LNP on Sunday, November 23, 2014 As allegations against Bill Cosby resurface and new alleged victims come forward, it is important to remember why victims of sexual assault, especially when victimized by celebrities, wait to report, if they choose to report at all. Sexual assault can cause intense feelings of humiliation. Denial, shame and self-doubt are all typical psychological byproducts of being abused by someone you trusted. Victims often

One of our favorite features of our new and improved website is our blog — the perfect place for us to share information on important topics without the space limitations of social media. Of course, we realize that throughout our community, there are a wide variety of views on these subjects — and we want to hear them! If you are passionate about issues related to domestic and sexual violence (or gender equality, or how “media hurts”), we would love to host you as a guest b