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V-Tour 2005 Recap From Executive Director Jerri Lynn Fields

04/12/2005

Dear V-Supporters,
We are well into V-Season 2005 and I wanted to share our travels with you as we get a glimpse into over 1,100 communities around the world putting on V-Day events to end violence against women and girls.

V-Tour 2005, Leg One

Rhode Island

The V-Day 2005 V-Tour began in the small, but very Vagina Friendly state of Rhode Island -- there are 8 V-Day events there this year! To help kick off V-Day 2005 events in Newport, Eve participated in a number of wonderful, grassroots events:

  • Nancy Rafi, an organizer for the past 4 years, brought 100 people from the community to celebrate four local vagina warriors, Jeffrey Gallus, Eustacia Miller and the co-directors of Breakaway, Bobbi Jo Joval and Gretchen Nelson.
  • Cast members from Worldwide and College Campaigns joined Eve for crowded book signing of "Vagina Warriors" at the historic Viking Hotel. The room was decorated with framed pictures from the book surrounded by hot pink boas and handmade female torso statues.
  • There was an engaging and inspiring Q&A dialogue with Eve and the audience.
  • Rose Bell (former Ukiah V-Day and Until the Violence Stops film premiered organizer) joined forces with Nancy to create a gorgeous night.

Yale

Marie Otsby directed and organized a spectacular V-Week which included a variety of artistic workshops, a Violence against Women of Sexual Minorities - panel discussion coordinated by the LGBT Co-op, (co-sponsored by MARS: Men Against Rape and Sexual Violence) a Master's Tea with performer/activist Nighat Rizvi, a screening of "What I Want My Words to do to You", a project presentation on sex trafficking in Iraq, Religion and Women: an interfaith panel discussion, Vagina art gallery opening, and Sexual Violence in War: a discussion focusing on women in Iraq.

  • The V-Day team had lunch with Yale organizers and a wonderful reunion with Nighat Rizvi, the woman who brought V-Day to Pakistan and was invited by Marie to be a part of V-week activities.
  • Eve addressed a group of students at the Women's Resource Center
  • Signed books at the Yale Bookstore
  • A reception at the Slifka Center with Jewish students and faculty.
  • The show was sold out and there was a waiting list! The performance was wonderful and Nighat performed "Under the Burqua." The cast wore beautiful dresses designed by a Yale freshman—each dress designed specifically for the actress. The event benefited the Miles Foundation, a private non-profit organization providing comprehensive services to the military community. The Miles Foundation and its partners drafted "Improving the US Armed Forces Response to Violence Against Women: Recommendations for Change."
  • We enjoyed a post-show reception at the women's center which included chocolate vaginas and an Until the Violence Stops cake.

Wabash College, Crawfordsville, IN

A first in V-Day history -- a V-Day production on an all men's campus! Professor Jennifer Young and Lucinda Huffaker, Wabash faculty and staff respectively, wanted to see V-Day happen on campus. Lucinda's daughter, Amy, attends Valparaiso College so they invited female students from Valparaiso to perform in this historic event. We knew we were going to have a great time when the first male student we met had a t-shirt with "VAGINAS…" on the front and on the back: "…it's not HOW you love them, it's THAT you love them."

  • Our visit at Wabash began with a press conference and then Eve conducted a workshop for the V-Day cast and Wabash organizers and volunteers
  • We then attended a dinner with the cast, organizers, volunteers and faculty
  • Wabash students held a Bake Sale in the lobby of the fine arts center during the show.
  • The fine arts centers was a buzz with activity as those on the waiting list for the sold-out show anxiously awaited news on whether they would get a seat. Soon there was an announcement that they would make an exception and let everyone it, some sitting on the stairs in the theatre! The show was wonderful and a highlight was "My Angry Vagina" performed by a theatre department faculty member's wife, a local librarian—she had the young men rolling in their seats!
  • Eve led a Q&A with the audience after the show, which was heated at times, but thought-provoking, while the male students who coordinated the bake sale passed buckets for donations for the Crawfordsville Family Crisis Center.
  • Our night ended with 2 hour book signing—every book sold out ("The Vagina Monologues," "The Good Body," "Vagina Warriors")

Click here for an article on the event:
http://www.wabash.edu/alumni/news.cfm?news_ID=2243

St. Xavier, Chicago, IL

This is the third year of ongoing opposition lead by the Cardinal Newman Society to stop Catholic College V-Day events. (Background on this issue can be found here: http://www.vday.org/contents/vday/press/release/0403011)

We decided that visiting a Catholic campus or two was definitely a must this V-Season! First stop, St. Xavier:

  • This was St. Xavier's first V-Day event!
  • Colleen Sullivan and her team of V-Day organizers held a reception honoring Eve, local vagina warriors and their beneficiary "Friends of Battered Women and Their Children." Eve made remarks to the group and enjoyed an intimate book signing with much of the cast and event supporters.
  • The show was fantastic and there was an incredibly diverse cast. Eve spoke to the audience post-show. It was a perfect way to spend V-Day, February 14!

V-Day Chicago 2005

While in Chicago we wanted to help raise awareness for the upcoming V-Day Chicago 2005 event. This is the 4th or 5th V-Day Chicago. First brought to Chicago by Mary Morten, this year Mary is being honored as a Vagina Warrior by C.C. Carter, the V-Day 2005 organizer, at their event on March 5.

  • We started with a book signing at Women & Children First where many former college V-Day organizers came to meet Eve, including four women from Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, IL, a young man from Simpson College in Iowa who wrote and performed the men's monologue in his college production two years ago, three young women from Notre Dame's 2004 V-Day event, and Jasmine from Skidmore College, who just happens to be featured in the "Vagina Warrior" book that Eve was signing!
  • It was Mary's birthday and she brought a picnic dinner for us to enjoy on our drive from the bookstore on the north side to the next event on the south side.
  • The V-Day Chicago 2005 presenting group, POW-WOW, Inc. dedicated their weekly open-mike night at Lee's Unleaded Blues to Eve and ending violence against women and girls. A multi-generational line-up performed poetry and Eve closed the show with "I'm an Emotional Creature." The evening ended with a great DJ spinning and everyone dancing. V-Day Chicago 2005 will be held on March 5 at the DuSable Museum.
  • Notre Dame

    Back to Indiana, this time to support the young women of Notre Dame who, for the fourth year in a row, held V-Day events. When we arrived on campus we were handed Bishop John M. D'Arcy's written opposition to "The Vagina Monologues." We knew we were in for a wild ride.

    We left the Notre Dame campus grateful that there had been space and time for such a respectful dialogue on the issues, which can often be so polarizing. Click here to read an article on the visit to Notre Dame:
    http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2005/02/17/local.20050217-sbt-LOCL-A1-Ensler_faces_ND.sto

    Los Angeles

    L.A., the last stop on this leg of the tour, was packed with great V-Day Activities!

    It was inspiring to see women and men in this movement—from coast to coast and from college to city—demonstrate leadership and vision in their communities with one distinct purpose: to end violence against women and girls.

    V-Tour 2005, Leg Two: Ireland and Iceland

    The next day Eve and I joined Cecile Lipworth, V-Day's Worldwide Campaign Director, in Iceland for the V-Dagur team's fourth year of V-Day celebrations. Our time in Iceland began at the Blue Lagoon where the five leaders of V-Dagur - órey, Hlín, Ingibjörg, Björn Ingi and Hildur treated us to a swim in the hot springs—it was a wonderful way to get to know our hosts! Immediately after our swim the V-Dagur team led a presentation on the work of V-Dagur in Iceland since its inception in 2001.

    Needless to say, we were impressed with the creativity, dedication and impact of the movement in Iceland, particularly because we were able to see the direct results of the V-Day movement in Iceland. During the Bank Holiday festival in 2001 there were 21 rapes reported—this spurred the V-Day movement in Iceland—and after extensive outreach and visibility by the V-Dagur team, there were only two reported rapes during the Bank Holiday festival in 2003! Eve asked the V-Dagur team to consider attending the organizer workshop in Brussels in April to present this model approach to bringing V-Day to an entire country. Our first day in Iceland ended with a meal overlooking the Blue Lagoon and the pleasant surprise of Northern Lights in the sky on our way to the car. To cap off a perfect first night in Iceland, when we arrived in our hotel rooms we were able to catch our very own documentary "Until the Violence Stops" (subtitled in Icelandic) which aired on Channel One, one of two local Iceland television stations.

    The following day was very busy!

    Our final day in Iceland was International Women's Day

    From Indiana and Illinois to Ireland and Iceland, Vagina Warriors are making a huge impact in their communities and in women's lives. It is our privilege to witness their leadership and drive. Next up, a dynamic series of V-Day Europe events in Brussels in April.

    Kind Regards,
    Jerri Lynn

    P.S. Worldwide press on V-Day 2005 is more vast than ever, below are just three examples of hundreds and hundreds of articles raising awareness to end violence against women and girls.

    THE STANDARD
    CHINA'S BUSINESS NEWSPAPER
    March 11, 2005
    Frank show to hit stage

    Katie Lau
    http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/China/GC11Ad08.html

    CHARLESTON GAZETTE (Charleston, West Va.):
    March 7, 2003
    More `Vagina Warriors' needed to help end abuse

    Marsha Ibos
    http://www.wvgazette.com/section/Columns/200503062

    DAILY EXPRESS NEWS
    INDEPENDENT NATIONAL NEWSPAPER OF EAST MALAYSIA
    March 11, 2005
    Not right to use taboo word openly: Jornah

    Kota Kinabalu
    http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=33109

    Click here to go to:
    V-Tour 2005, Leg One