OXNARD — Líderes Campesinas will hold a vigil against domestic violence from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25 at Our Lady of Guadalupe, 500 No. Juanita Ave., Oxnard.
As a united community, we will remember women who have died as a result of violence and we will speak out together to end domestic violence, the organization reported Friday in a media release. We are promoting dialogue, respect, and trust between intimate partners as key tools to prevent violence. All are invited to join us in this evening of remembrance and action.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a time for the community to come together and build awareness and a movement towards safe and healthy relationships for all individuals and families. For that reason, farmworker women from Ventura unite this month to speak out against domestic violence. All members of the statewide organization, Líderes Campesinas, spend the year educating and mobilizing fellow farmworker women to defend their rights and their families. In recognition of the month of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Ventura chapter of Líderes Campesinas invites all farmworkers and community members to join us as we publicly address this hidden crime. Domestic violence touches every person in our community and society as a whole; and violates a person’s dignity, safety, and basic human rights.
The centerpiece of our vigil and our month-long series of Domestic Violence-related events is our Apron Project. Part public art and part political statement, members across the state of California are decorating symbolic aprons with political messages against domestic violence. These aprons are symbols of the home and the center of the family. As we know from members’ experiences, the kitchen is also the place in the home where violence often takes place. The Apron Project is a collaborative effort with local community groups and partner organizations. By using art as a form of community outreach, the Apron Project is spreading the message of peaceful families in new ways.
Líderes Campesinas is an advocacy organization founded in 1992, headquartered since April 2009 in Oxnard, California. As the only statewide organization in the country that is both governed and operated by current and former farmworker women, Líderes Campesinas addresses issues that are often considered too sensitive to openly discuss. Today over 500 Latina farmworker women and adolescent girls are members of Líderes Campesinas, working for social change that improves the lives of many thousands more.
For more information, call Denise Rodriguez at 805-486-7776, the Central Office at 805-486-7776 or visit liderescampesinas@hotmail.com