14 Feb V25 is HERE: Your Story is the Story of the Movement, We Invite You To Share It
2023 marks 25 years of our global activist movement to end violence against women, gender expansive people, girls and the planet. YOUR work and voice have played a central role in the V-Day story and for that you have our gratitude, always.
For 25 years, V-Day has unleashed vast grassroots, anti-violence work on college campuses and in communities – visionary work that has been survivor-led and focused, all the while revealing the power of art and activism to change culture and systems.
“What happens when you start trusting women? We have the receipts” by V, Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes, Dana Aliya Levinson, Célia Xakriabá, Rada Borić, Agnes Pareyio, Christine Schuler Deschryver, Lu Pin, Mily Treviño-Sauceda, Zoya and Monique Wilson is in The Guardian. In the article, these V-Day activists tell their story of “what happened in their communities after they took action,” of that seminal V-Day moment in their lives. READ it and be inspired to tell your V-Day story.
The Vagina Monologues and other artistic works curated by V-Day have been performed across the world by local activists, survivors and artists, raising over $120 million dollars for grassroots anti-violence groups, rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, and safe houses, shattering taboos and changing the way activists make change in their communities. Through One Billion Rising, you shook the earth through the massive RISINGS in which over ONE BILLION people danced to end the epidemic of violence, we have shifted consciousness and broken the deadly silence. You inspired growth and healing, turning Pain to Power at City of Joy where over 1900 women have graduated and become leaders and change-makers in their communities. You’ve helped bring light to the call for restorative justice, dissecting and rebuilding a corrupt system that so violently affects some more than most with The Beyond Incarceration Project. And most recently, you’ve made space for VOICES – an interdisciplinary audio play grounded in Black women’s stories of the African continent and diaspora – in order to pull-up, amplify, and embrace the voices of Black women & non-binary folk, to highlight our unity globally. And every day, you stage art in your community for social change, you RISE, you are in the streets rising against racist patriarchy.
You have made ending sexual violence a front-page issue, never to be silenced again.
We Invite You To Share Your Story.
We invite you to help us tell the story of the movement. What’s your V-Day story?
Is there a quote that sums up your experience? A picture from your V-Day or OBR event, rehearsal, speech? A poster from a show? Share something with us that represents your V-Day activism and involvement in the movement.
THE PROMPT:
We would love to know one moment in your years in this movement that stands out for you. A moment you saw yourself become a leader, a moment you were changed, a moment that turned your life in another direction. We know movements are made of relationships, friendship, solidarity and radical transformational moments. What was a seminal moment in the V-Day movement for you (this might include a V-Day benefit of The Vagina Monologues, One Billion Rising, City of Joy, V to the Tenth in New Orleans, Beyond Incarceration Project, VOICES, etc.)?
FILM IT YOURSELF, SHARE IT ON SOCIAL, SEND IT TO US
SOCIAL MEDIA: SHARE on social media and be sure to tag us: Facebook.com/vday | Twitter @vday | Instagram @vdayorg, one_billion_rising | Our hashtags are: #V25 #ThisIsV25 #UntilTheViolenceStops
FILM IT: Create a short video (we suggest between 2-5 minutes in length) telling your story to the camera, or in voice over, or an animated piece. Get creative. When filming, you are the most important part of the frame. Please shoot against a neutral background, with little to no background noise, avoid capturing anyone other than yourself in the frame.
IMPORTANT: Please do not wear any clothing that is branded or with a visible logo, as it will make the video ineligible for use.
Learn more at vday.org/shareyourstory