Today marks the 10^th anniversary of V-day, the organization that grew out of Eve Ensler’s award-winning play The Vagina Monologues. V-day works to end violence against women and girls worldwide. The organization has gained a huge following and Eve Ensler has traveled all over the world to bring attention to issues of violence against women.

I was first introduced to The Vagina Monologues when I was a junior in High School. My English teacher organized a show for the community and many of the teachers from my high school participated. The months leading up to the event she wore a small, red, “V” pin every day. One day one of my classmates asked her what the “V” stood for. She leaned in and whispered to him “Vagina” and casually walked away. I remember seeing the look of shock on his face that a teacher would say something like that. It made me feel empowered. I knew at that moment that I wanted to be involved with the production in the future.

Throughout college I acted, directed and organized the annual production of The Vagina Monologues and brought attention to issues of violence within the community. It was one of the things that I could do that I knew was making a difference and touching so many people.

Now, here I am in Washington, DC working on this issue from a legislative standpoint and meeting amazing women and people along the way who feel just as passionately as I do about ending violence against women and girls.

Yesterday, I attended a briefing at the Capital titled “How faith-based communities can work together to advance domestic violence laws.” The event was sponsored by the Interfaith Domestic Violence Coalition of which the UUA is a part. The weather was awful, but we still had a great turnout and support from Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Representative Ted Poe (R-TX) who spoke of their dedication to ending violence against women. Currently, the coalition is dedicating much of its time to advancing the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) which will provide funding to foreign assistance programs specifically for stopping violence against women worldwide. Tell your Senator that you support the I-VAWA act, we need every voice to speak out in this struggle.

Together we are going to make a difference and make a positive impact on the lives of women and girls worldwide.

Remember, support women and girls and attend a V-day event in your area!