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Westmoreland County: It's Time to Take Action!

Apr 11, 2017

Westmoreland County: It's Time to Take Action!

At Blackburn Center, we envision a world free from domestic and sexual violence and other forms of violence. We can all work toward making this vision a reality through taking action in our own lives. As we discussed in a previous blog post, What Can YOU Do?, there are many ways that you can take action, like donating or volunteering, speaking out, or educating others. This week, we are discussing the importance of standing up against domestic and sexual violence in a visible

A Great Day to #WalkBlackburn!

Apr 20, 2016

A Great Day to #WalkBlackburn!

Our 2016 Walk a Mile in Her Shoes was an absolutely fantastic day! The weather was perfect — warm and sunny — and we had a record turnout: 1,138 walkers! We are so impressed with how many of you came to support our event and our mission — and yes, we hope for even more walkers in 2017! 2016 was the sixth year Blackburn Center sponsored this Walk for Westmoreland County, and the third year that we kicked it off at St. Clair Park in Greensburg. The park provided a great spa

Apr 6, 2016

#WalkBlackburn

We are less than 2 weeks away from our signature event, Walk A Mile In Her Shoes®! This year, we are hoping to see more than 1,000 men, women and children at our walk — raising awareness, taking the pledge, and with some luck, enjoying a beautiful spring day! Every year, our walk gets bigger and better. The event kicks off at St. Clair Park in downtown Greensburg, where we’ll have lots of yummy breakfast foods (thanks to Dunkin Donuts and Uncle Charley’s Sausage), a DJ, pic

Mar 23, 2016

Take The Pledge

Next month, Blackburn Center will be hosting its signature event, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes at St. Clair Park in Greensburg. As with our previous Walks, the cornerstone of this event will be the Pledge to End Gender Violence. This pledge was inspired by Jackson Katz’s “10 Things Men Can Do to Prevent Gender Violence,” and highlights the important role of men in our organization’s work. Although domestic and sexual violence disproportionately impacts women, it is not a “women

#NewAmericanSpirit

Jul 1, 2015

#NewAmericanSpirit

As the Fourth of July approaches, many of us reminiscence about what it means to be an American. There is a lot to love about our country, and many things that make America great. But despite this, we struggle to overcome certain problems. One of the primary challenges facing our country is our culture of violence. This violence takes many forms, from the racist acts of terrorism in Charleston to school shootings to politically motivated attacks. These acts of violence are

A New Way to Celebrate Father’s Day

Jun 17, 2015

A New Way to Celebrate Father’s Day

When you think of Father’s Day, what comes to mind? Meat on the grill, beer in the fridge, and gifts of bad ties and golf clubs? But Father’s Day doesn’t have to be limited to just that…what if we changed that standard view of Father’s Day with a new version, where fathers come together to help end gender violence? This year, we are asking you to help us achieve that mission by signing the Father’s Day Pledge. Based on Jackson Katz’s Pledge to End Gender Violence, this pled

May 6, 2015

On Floyd Mayweather & Glorifying Domestic Violence

This past Saturday, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fought Manny Pacquiao in what was billed as the Fight of the Century. 16,507 people watched the match live, paying upwards of $40,000 for ringside seats, and it is estimated that well over 2.5 million people bought the fight on pay-per-view. All together, the fight is projected to bring in over $300 million dollars in revenue (60% of which will go to the winner, Mayweather). No doubt about it — boxing is a popular sport. But what

It's Time to WALK!

Apr 15, 2015

It's Time to WALK!

We are just a few days away from our signature event, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes! If you haven’t registered yet, you have just a few days left to do so — online registration will close on Friday at 9 a.m. But don’t worry — you can always register in person at St. Clark Park on Saturday morning! For those who use social media, we invite you to use the hashtag #WalkBlackburn for your posts about pictures about the Walk. Use it on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (or anywhere else

We’re Looking for a Lot of Good Men!

Mar 25, 2015

We’re Looking for a Lot of Good Men!

Our annual Walk a Mile In Her Shoes event is one of Blackburn Center’s signature opportunities to showcase the role that men can – and do – play in supporting our vision of communities free from domestic and sexual violence. While our walkers include women and children as well as men, the focus of the walk is on engaging men in Blackburn Center’s mission to end gender violence. Men from the community participate in a public reading of our pledge, Ten Things Men Can Do To End

Blackburn 101: What Is Rape Culture?

Jan 14, 2015

Blackburn 101: What Is Rape Culture?

If you follow us on social media or read our blog, you’ve seen that phrase hundreds of times: “rape culture.” It’s become a shorthand term in modern culture for any number of societal issues involving violence against women…but what exactly does it mean? In the first of our Blackburn 101 series, we set out to define this term to help all of our readers better understand exactly what rape culture is ... because if you don’t know what rape culture is or how to recognize it, y

Jan 1, 2015

New Beginnings

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

Dec 10, 2014

We Must Believe Victims

Last month, Rolling Stone printed an explosive story of a gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity, which quickly became the focus of national outrage. This weekend, Rolling Stone retracted their story, citing discrepancies between the victim’s story and facts later unearthed by other news organizations. The retraction set off a wave of commentary, with many questioning whether the woman featured in the story, “Jackie,” had even been raped. Without a doubt, the fail

Peace Begins At Home

Dec 3, 2014

Peace Begins At Home

Domestic and sexual violence are pervasive problems that can affect any family, regardless of age, income, race, gender, religion or sexual orientation Around the world, it is estimated that 35% of women will experience domestic or sexual violence in their lifetime — approximately 1 in 3 women. Gender violence is a global problem — but its roots lie in the home. According to Mother Theresa, “peace and war begin at home. If we truly want peace in the world, let us begin by

Nov 18, 2014

It’s Time to End Pick Up Artist Culture

If you follow pop culture, you may have heard of a community of men known as pick up artists — or PUAs — who give advice in books, online and on TV shows on how to “score” with women. While they may claim to just want to help lonely men be more successful in relationships, the reality of their advice is far more sinister. Recently, a PUA named Julien Blanc made international news when — thanks to pressure from activists — Australia revoked his visa and he was forced to leave

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Oct 1, 2014

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

To many in our community, October is a month for visiting pumpkin patches and apple orchards, viewing the gorgeous changing leaves, and preparing for Halloween. But for those of us whose lives have been affected by domestic violence, October has a different meaning: a time to raise awareness for domestic violence. This month, we observe Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we ask you to participate to help us reach our goals of raising awareness and ultimately ending the

Sep 25, 2014

Using Peer Pressure for Good

Campus sexual assault is a hot issue right now, with a Presidential task force dedicated to the problem and stories of college students taking extreme measures to bring attention to their schools’ failure to take action against their rapists. Much of the focus has been devoted to how colleges and universities handle allegations of sexual assault — or how young female college students should bear the burden of not being raped. But what about preventing sexual assaults in the

Aug 8, 2014

This Is Rape Culture.

If you follow current events (or our social media pages), you have probably have seen the term “rape culture” used to describe a variety of things, from campus culture to catcalling to rape itself. This term has become part of our vernacular — but what does it mean? According to Marshall University, Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture. Rape culture is