{"id":2283,"date":"2019-02-27T11:38:28","date_gmt":"2019-02-27T16:38:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2283"},"modified":"2019-02-27T11:38:28","modified_gmt":"2019-02-27T16:38:28","slug":"special-feature-white-ribbon-campaign-marks-25-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2283","title":{"rendered":"SPECIAL FEATURE: White Ribbon Campaign marks 25 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Long before #MeToo and #TimesUp, before Gillette and the American Psychological Association took on toxic masculinity, men across Central New York were speaking out against domestic and sexual violence.<\/p>\n

Working with Vera House, men like Calvin Corriders, regional president for Pathfinder Bank, Mark Fuller, CFO of United Radio, and James Branche, head of HR for United Radio, are working to keep the conversation going in hopes of bringing an end to violence against women.<\/p>\n

\u201cStatistically speaking, men are primarily the ones committing the offense,\u201d said Corriders, the honorary chair of this year\u2019s Vera House White Ribbon Campaign. \u201c[You have to] have men in the community speaking out, saying it’s wrong, and you have to have the reputation of being someone who is walking the talk and basically gathering an army of men together to say, \u2018Hey, this is wrong.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Vera House\u2019s month-long White Ribbon Campaign seeks to raise awareness about domestic and sexual violence using male leaders in the Central New York community. The 2018 effort involved more than 20,000 people.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s campaign marks the 25th year of the White Ribbon Campaign in Syracuse. It originated in Canada in 1991 as a reaction to a mass shooting in Montreal. On Dec. 6, 1989, a male student at the Ecole Polytechnique, Marc L\u00e9pine, entered a classroom carrying a semi-automatic rifle and a hunting knife. He separated the male students from the female students and shot the women, claiming he was \u201cfighting feminism.\u201d He then moved through the building, targeting women, for the next 20 minutes before turning the gun on himself. In total, 14 women were killed, and another 10 women and four men were wounded. The so-called \u201cMontreal Massacre\u201d is the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history. A group of men responded by launching an awareness campaign regarding the issue of male violence against women, encouraging other men and boys to pin a white ribbon as a personal acknowledgement of the role men must play in the struggle.<\/p>\n

Now the White Ribbon Campaign is in more than 60 countries worldwide. Vera House brought the campaign to Syracuse in 1995. Those who sign on to the campaign pledge to \u201cnever commit, condone or remain silent about abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat pledge is really core to everything we do,\u201d said Chris Benton, Vera House\u2019s director of marketing and communications. \u201cIf you participate in the campaign, you’re making that personal commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The drive also seeks to raise money to continue Vera House\u2019s mission to end domestic and sexual violence in Central New York; this year\u2019s goal is $150,000. Some of that money will come from the kickoff breakfast, to be held at the Marriott Downtown Syracuse on March 1, and the annual walk on Friday, March 29 (see sidebar); more will be raised through the sale of white ribbon lapel pins, rubber wristbands and other merchandise. To commemorate the 25th anniversary, Vera House is offering a T-shirt as well as a limited-edition wristband.<\/p>\n

Those wristbands are more than just a fashion accessory, according to Branche, who serves as co-chair of this year\u2019s campaign with Fuller. Fuller and Branche also serve on the nonprofit\u2019s board of directors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did a presentation last year with a survivor who has been very active at Vera House and has shared her story several times,\u201d Branche said. \u201cShe was saying how when someone would come up to her when they realized she was a survivor, that they say, \u2018Well I think I am going through something very similar.\u2019 She would take her wristband off of her wrist and give it to them and say, \u2018You hold onto this \u2014 on the inside in case you need it, here’s the number [for Vera House.\u2019”<\/p>\n

At the time, Branche said, the story surprised him\u2014but then it started happening to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople would hear I was on the board of directors at Vera House and on several occasions, enough for me to remember, people would do the same thing, to the point I gave way all the bracelets I had, and I had lots,\u201d he said. \u201cThat’s one thing that someone can do \u2014 when you purchase one of these bracelets, purchase a couple of them, and not only are you supporting the great cause, but you could potentially save a life.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are a number of ways to participate in the White Ribbon Campaign, from purchasing lapel pins and wristbands to coordinating a campaign in your workplace, school or place of worship. All materials are supplied by Vera House. Community members are also invited to do peer-to-peer fundraising for the White Ribbon Walk on March 29.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year that walk grows a little bit. We’re hoping for hundreds of people to join us,\u201d Benton said. \u201cIt’s one hour out of your day. We start at noon and end at 1 p.m., so people can come out on their lunch hour and walk with us and stand in solidarity.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking to make a deeper commitment, Fuller suggested volunteering for either Vera House or McMahon\/Ryan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are several ways without spending a dime that you can improve the situation in our community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The simplest way, however, is to just be part of the dialogue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe it’s important to start conversations about this so when people start talking about violence against women it becomes more commonplace, more comfortable,\u201d Benton said. \u201cThey’re not easy conversations to have but very important.<\/p>\n

That dialogue is more meaningful, she said, when it\u2019s started by men in the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s important to see these messages from all directions, not just coming from places like Vera House,\u201d Benton said. \u201cWe think it’s just the beginning of hopefully our society coming around to be able to talk about these issues in a meaningful way. The White Ribbon Campaign is a bit of a vehicle for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fuller, who was compelled to join Vera House\u2019s board after his daughter\u2019s best friend, Jenni-Lyn Watson, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2010, acknowledged that those are often uncomfortable conversations, but they need to take place.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me it’s being able to challenge folks to understand how they feel about these issues even if it makes them uncomfortable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Corriders agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s critically important to bring this subject out to light, to help reduce it, quite frankly,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of stuff is happening in the dark. Bringing it out into the light will help sanitize it and hopefully reduce the number of incidents of domestic and sexual violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fuller said that, while recent events highlight some progress society has made in this vein, we still have quite a ways to go.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a systemic issue, and I do thinkthe only way to change it over time is to challenge it,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that’s what I think we’re doing. It starts with people in their own circle of influence and thenit continues, like ripples in a pool, right? And it just keeps pushing out other circles of influence and folks are able to achieve better results over time.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do you need help?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vera House\u2019s administrative offices are located at 723 James St., Syracuse; (315) 425-0818. You can also call the following crisis lines:<\/p>\n