Vigil and Speak-Out to Cap Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Members of the campus community can tell their stories at the DV Vigil and Speak-Out event.

Cal State San Marcos next week will hold its signature event as the culmination of national Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The DV Vigil and Speak-Out has been held each October since 2014 as a time for the CSUSM campus to come together and honor those who have been harmed or murdered due to dating or domestic violence and learn how to prevent intimate partner harm from happening in the community.

This year’s event will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 25 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Forum Plaza.

All students, faculty, staff, alumni, family and friends are invited to participate in the evening. Attendees will learn about resources on and off campus, hear testimonies from survivor speakers, and participate in a candlelight vigil.

“We hope that our amazing community will show up to support those who have been impacted and create space for social change,” said Avery Bather, sexual violence prevention educator and advocate in Student Health & Counseling Services. “This is a special opportunity to acknowledge the strength and resilience of survivors and make a clear statement that we do not tolerate intimate partner violence at CSUSM.”

The keynote speaker at the DV Vigil and Speak-Out will be Erica Alfaro, a CSUSM alumna, domestic violence survivor and author of the memoir “Harvesting Dreams.”

Hot tea and treats will be served, and there will be chances to win T-shirts, tote bags, tumblers and other items.

To speak with a confidential sexual violence advocate, email advocates@csusm.edu or visit the Sexual Violence Advocacy and Education website at https://www.csusm.edu/shcs/advocate/index.html