GREENFIELD — In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, two Greenfield-based groups held a candlelight vigil on the common on Thursday to honor survivors, grieve the lives of those lost and connect survivors with social services.
“This is a survivor-centered space,” Katri Schroeder, community organizer with the New England Learning Center for Women in Transition (NELCWIT), said during opening remarks. “There is nothing in the world like feeling the power of being in a community space where we get to say our truths without shame and without stigma.”
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that 47,000 women and girls worldwide were murdered by intimate partners or other family members in 2020. Schroeder noted the U.S. has seen an 8% increase in these numbers over the last decade.
In addition to the candlelight vigil, the event — organized by NELCWIT and the Salasin Project — included a T-shirt display as part of The Clothesline Project. Attendees used markers to decorate T-shirts that were then hung around the Greenfield Common, using an art form to share people’s experiences with gender-based violence.
The Clothesline Project started in 1990 in Hyannis. At the time, the creators were inspired by AIDS quilts honoring lives lost. The first project displayed 31 shirts made by domestic violence survivors, and the effort has since been duplicated across the country to raise awareness.
NELCWIT, which has offices in Greenfield and Orange, offers counseling, advocacy and resources for individuals whose lives have been impacted by domestic violence or sexual abuse. The nonprofit also assists in prevention and education work to decrease violence in the community.
All services for survivors provided by NELCWIT are free of charge, do not require health insurance and are available to people of any immigration status.
Meanwhile, the Salasin Project provides individual support and opportunities to build community for survivors of domestic violence and their families, reaching about 300 people annually. The nonprofit offers home visits and has a housing specialist to help people in abusive relationships find new housing. Director Becky Lockwood explained that most people in abusive relationships either become homeless or stay with their abuser because they depend on their partner for housing.
The Salasin Project also offers classes at the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction to teach women about healthy relationships.
“A vast majority of incarcerated women have a history of domestic violence,” Lockwood explained.
When sharing personal stories during Thursday’s vigil, Greenfield business owner Skye Wellington spoke about how NELCWIT helped her leave an abusive marriage.
“In my 20s, I was repeatedly getting into abusive relationships and then I got in an abusive marriage,” Wellington said. “Through NELCWIT, I worked with life coaches to improve my situation.”
South Hadley resident Yoko Kato shared how her 23-year-old daughter and granddaughter were fatally stabbed by her daughter’s abusive boyfriend back in 1993.
“Her young life was stolen by a brutal man who is supposed to protect his baby,” Kato said.
At the end of her speech, she concluded, “My message to people experiencing domestic abuse is your safety depends on your choices.”
People facing domestic violence can call NELCWIT’s 24-hour hotline 413-772-0806 or reach out to the Salasin Project by emailing salasinproject@wmtcinfo.org.
Bella Levavi can be reached at blevavi@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.