Sed rhoncus nulla turpis, vitae rutrum velit iaculis et. Curabitur vestibulum, erat non imperdiet vulputate, est neque iaculis mi, at malesuada eros ante sit amet elit. Praesent tempus, est in bibendum tincidunt, sapien felis condimentum quam, eu posuere risus sem ac sem. In non massa et dolor venenatis luctus non eget dolor. Duis turpis est, euismod a tellus tristique, ultricies aliquet metus. Quisque pellentesque laoreet diam, eget facilisis ligula pulvinar eu. In vel euismod lorem. Duis vel enim at nisi hendrerit vestibulum. Cras felis mauris, placerat vitae pharetra vel, scelerisque ac felis. Vestibulum tristique est sit amet massa mattis condimentum. Nam auctor, purus in bibendum ornare, erat lacus tempus est, ac molestie nibh lacus pellentesque lacus. Etiam lacus nisl, fermentum eget neque imperdiet, iaculis egestas sapien. Quisque vel dignissim metus.
Sed rhoncus nulla turpis, vitae rutrum velit iaculis et. Curabitur vestibulum, erat non imperdiet vulputate, est neque iaculis mi, at malesuada eros ante sit amet elit. Praesent tempus, est in bibendum tincidunt, sapien felis condimentum quam, eu posuere risus sem ac sem. In non massa et dolor venenatis luctus non eget dolor. Duis turpis est, euismod a tellus tristique, ultricies aliquet metus. Quisque pellentesque laoreet diam, eget facilisis ligula pulvinar eu. In vel euismod lorem. Duis vel enim at nisi hendrerit vestibulum. Cras felis mauris, placerat vitae pharetra vel, scelerisque ac felis. Vestibulum tristique est sit amet massa mattis condimentum. Nam auctor, purus in bibendum ornare, erat lacus tempus est, ac molestie nibh lacus pellentesque lacus. Etiam lacus nisl, fermentum eget neque imperdiet, iaculis egestas sapien. Quisque vel dignissim metus.
Sed rhoncus nulla turpis, vitae rutrum velit iaculis et. Curabitur vestibulum, erat non imperdiet vulputate, est neque iaculis mi, at malesuada eros ante sit amet elit. Praesent tempus, est in bibendum tincidunt, sapien felis condimentum quam, eu posuere risus sem ac sem. In non massa et dolor venenatis luctus non eget dolor. Duis turpis est, euismod a tellus tristique, ultricies aliquet metus. Quisque pellentesque laoreet diam, eget facilisis ligula pulvinar eu. In vel euismod lorem. Duis vel enim at nisi hendrerit vestibulum. Cras felis mauris, placerat vitae pharetra vel, scelerisque ac felis. Vestibulum tristique est sit amet massa mattis condimentum. Nam auctor, purus in bibendum ornare, erat lacus tempus est, ac molestie nibh lacus pellentesque lacus. Etiam lacus nisl, fermentum eget neque imperdiet, iaculis egestas sapien. Quisque vel dignissim metus.
Last Thursday, March 13, Divas In Defense was invited by representatives of NBC to join a screening of their new show Crisis. Crisis is a brand new television series which officially premiered on NBC last night. According to a summary written by NBC on Imdb.com‘s webpage the show “Centers on an idealistic Secret Service agent who finds himself at the center of an international crisis on his first day on the job. In his search for the truth, he will have to cross moral and legal lines as he navigates the highest levels of power and corruption.”
It was a fabulous experience and our very own Cole Parker and Skye Walton were asked to perform a self-defense demonstration prior to the screening. The duo did a brief, very educational, demonstration that left the audience amazed. Divas In Defense is the perfect place to learn how to approach a crisis situation, so be sure to sign up for one of our many classes designed to suit the beginning student to the most advanced student.
Women have come a long way since their fight for suffrage in the 19th century. There is even an entire month, March, dedicated to women and all of their accomplishments. It wasn’t always that way though. At first there was only an International Women’s Day, started in 1909, then National Women’s History Week in 1981. It’s crazy to think that just a century ago, women couldn’t vote, own land, get an education, and rarely had jobs. As of 2012, according to the Census Bureau, 41.6% of females 16 years old and over hold jobs while only 34.7% of men in the same age group hold jobs. The Census Bureau also concludes that 56.8% of all college students are females. A few females who paved the way for all women include:
Catherine Brewer, the first female to earn a Bachelor’s degree from what is now Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia
Amelia Earhart, first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean
Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female Supreme Court Justice
Patricia Harris, the first black, woman cabinet member in the U.S
Those four women are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Women’s History Month. You can check out a timeline from DiversityInc.com with tons of facts.
Create Memories: Don’t drink until you are blacked out.
Of the six reported rapes, all but one involved alcohol and/or drugs. Three of the victims were unconscious when assaulted. Only one person has been arrested so far.
Back to Daytona, FL: Of the six reported rapes, all but one involved alcohol and/or drugs. Three of the victims were unconscious when assaulted. Only one person has beenarrested so far.
Wing (Wo)Man: Always have buddy. More than a designated driver, a buddy should make sure no one is taking advantage of you and that you are not putting yourself in a position to be taken advantage of.
Contact Information: Always carry identification with you and always carry important phone numbers with you. Don’t rely solely on a cell phone or your memory for important numbers, use a combination of the two.
It’s that time of year again; time to shop for the perfect bikini and work toward a perfectly toned beach body. Why? Spring break 2014, of course. Majority of college spring-breakers will choose a destination near the beach. While this is a great opportunity to relieve the stress of school work, safety should remain a top priority. Whether your destination of choice is in the United States or abroad, something could happen in the blink of an eye that could change your life forever. Safespringbreak.org has some excellent tips for spring breakers, even some that are not so obvious:
When reserving a hotel room, opt for a room above the 1st floor and below the 6th floor.
Drink alcohol in moderation while on the beach, as sun maximizes effects of alcohol.
Avoid drinking while in a hot tub, as the effects can be felt much quicker and cause you to pass out.
Don’t become another statistic among the spring break world. Many of the horrible incidents that make headlines could have easily been avoided with a little bit of common sense. Taking a self-defense class is a great way to be even more prepared for anything. View our calender to see the list of classes that we offer, and reserve your spot today!
Hate women? Well March is not your month. Saturday was the official start to Women’s History Month. March 2014, we celebrate women of colors and backgrounds, from homemakers to movers-and-shakers. The National Women’s History Project announced this year’s theme is Celebrating Women of Character, Courage, and Commitment. The honorees that were submitted include those of past and present resilience. While all the honorees are notable, Divas In Defense has selected three that really speak to the versatility of the honorees.
Image Courtsey of National Women's History Project
Tammy Duckworth (1968 – Present) Member of Congress and Iraq War Veteran Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Representative from Illinois, is an Iraq War veteran and former Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs. In 2014, she became the first disabled woman elected to serve in the House of Representatives. Duckworth has a strong record advocating and implementing improvements to veteran’s services. In 2004, she was deployed to Iraq as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot. She was one of the first Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom until her helicopter was hit by an RPG on November 12 2004. She lost her legs and partial use of her right arm in the explosion and was subsequently awarded a Purple Heart for her combat injuries.
Image courtesy of National Women's History Project
Arden Eversmeyer (1931 – Present) The Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project Founder
Arden Eversmeyer founded the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project (1999), to ensure that the stories of lesbians born in the first part of the 20th century, who were labeled “mentally ill”, fired from their jobs, rejected by their families, and even raped and murdered with impunity, are recorded in history. Project volunteers have documented over 320 diverse life stories recording the sacrifices and obstacles faced by lesbians of that era. The collection is now archived, and continues to grow, as part of the prestigious Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College. Today Eversmeyer is proud to live in a time when she can be her true self with acquaintances, friends, family, medical professionals, and everyone
Image Courtesy of National Women's History Project
Anna Julia Haywood Cooper (1858 – 1964) African American Educator and Author
Anna J. Cooper was an author, educator, speaker, and among the leading intellectuals of her time. Born into enslavement, she wrote “A Voice from the South,” widely considered one of the first articulations of Black feminism. Throughout her long life, Anna worked for the betterment of African American women’s lives, which she saw as the foundation for a more just society for everyone. Cooper worked at Washington D.C.’s M Street — now Dunham High School for nearly 40 years, focusing the all black high school on preparing students for higher education, successfully sending many students to prestigious universities.
Information on honorees and a full list can be viewed here.
The orgins of Women’s History Month can be traced back to 1911, when the first International Women’s day was held on March 8th. While in office, Jimmy Carter issued a Presidential proclamation that the week of March 8th would be Women’s History week. Following the petition by the National Women’s History, in 1987 Congress passed a bill that declared March the month for Women’s History.
In 1999, Eve became only the third female rapper in history to have an album go platinum. Let There be Eve . . . Ruff Ryder’s First Lady, Eve’s debut album’s platinum feat was most impressive due to the fact it rode to success on the single “Love is Blind”. The third single off the album is held today in high regards as a classic. The rap ballad –if you will—is an ode to a dear friend of Eve’s that died from domestic violence.
“Hey, yo I don’t even know you and I hate you See all I know is that my girlfriend used to date you How would you feel if she held you down and raped you? Tried and tried, but she never could escape you”
In a male dominated music industry, Eve’s opus still resonated with Hip Hop fans male and female. The 1999 hit also featured vocals by Faith Evans, the widow of slain rapper Biggie Smalls. Eve’s song spoke out for a community of women, mostly young African American woman, which were affected by domestic abuse of some sort. In 2005, Black women accounted for just 8% of the population, but accounted for 22% of the intimate partner homicide victims and 29% of all female victims of intimate partner homicide reported blackdoctor.org. Rochelle Sample, 24, a Hampton University graduate believes “Love is Blind” was so powerful, because it finally shed light on what the journalistic media refused to. “Many times we see women of other ethnicities on television and how they are missing and the country rallies to search for them or how they are beaten or worse killed by their husbands or lovers and the country rallies for them. It’s not often that you see this same kind of treatment for Black woman and Eve’s song finally gave young women of color a voice against [domestic] violence,” says Sample.
Just two months ago, via youtube.com a young lady posted a comment on Eve’s video for “Love is Blind,” Lisandra Flores writes (in all caps) “LOVE IS BLIND . . . THANK YOU GOD FOR OPENING MY EYES,” more than a decade later and young women of color are still gravitating towards this song.
—Honor Killing: In the Middle East and South Asia 20,0000 women lose their lives to honor killings. An Honor Killing is the belief of justifiable murder, because a family member has brought dishonor to the family name and image.
Pulled from the Domestic Violence Pintrest board, these various infographics show domestic violence in teen relations, domestic violence against women, and some startling facts regarding international mind-sets. The first infographic, A Dangerous Gap shows 34% of parents report verbal abuse relationships, while a whooping 62% of tweens report verbal abuse. Early this month, National Teen Dating Violence Month, Divas in Defense shared some blog post that could help parents identify the signs of abuse in teen relationships.
What do India, Ethiopia, Iraq, and Jordan all have in common? The majority of their female population believes it is okay for their husbands to physically assault them. This study was conducted with the help of Unicef. A glimpse at the infographic will show the majority of these countries or Middle Eastern countries and third world economies. No doubt religion, sparse economic activity, and overall patriarchal institutions all play a role to some varying degree.
