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Friday, September 26, 2008 9pm
For the eighth year in a row, women dressed in wedding gowns, along with approximately 100 other women dressed in white and men dressed in black, marched through the streets of Manhattan and the South Bronx to raise awareness about the devastating effects of domestic violence on our families and communities, and to remember Gladys Ricart and the many other battered women, children and others who have lost their lives to acts of domestic violence.
Despite the heavy rain and high winds
predicted, members of the Ricart family and several family and friends
of other victims of domestic violence along with scores of survivors of domestic
violence and domestic violence service providers gathering at the Fort
Washington Heights Presbyterian Church. We heard from community activists
and city and state officials, and after the Invocation, the six-mile
march began at 10:30am under a light rain�just as the Reverend Carmen
Rosario prayed for during the Invocation.
We marched south on Broadway chanting
in Spanish and English �No More Violence Against Women� and �Men
Who Matter Never Batter�. We stopped and heard from various
speakers, amongst them survivors of domestic violence, at 161 Street
and Grand Concourse and at the Harlem State Building Plaza. Along the
route we were joined by several community based groups, and several
bystanders also joined in the March for a couple of blocks�each with
their own personal story of domestic violence and its impact on their
lives.
At approximately 2 pm, just as the
mist that had accompanied us for most of the day was becoming intense
rain�more like a downpour�we reached El Taller Boricua/Julia de
Burgos Cultural Center in East Harlem for the closing ceremony and a
prayer for an end to domestic violence related homicides.
The New York Latinas Against Domestic Violence
The New York Latinas Against Domestic Violence and the Ricart family wish to recognize and express appreciation to those listed below for their support and participation in the 8th Annual Gladys Ricart and Victims of Domestic Violence Memorial Walk/Brides� March.
- The families and friends of the other victims of domestic violence for allowing us to be part of their family
- The survivors who shared their stories
- The domestic violence programs and organizations that participated: El Nuevo Amanecer, Dominican Women�s Development Center, Help USA/Help Harbor/Help Heaven/Help Roads, Ministerio Levantate Mujer, Mujers Latinas Unidas/Barrier Free Living, National Dominican Women's Caucus, National Latino Alliance for the Elimination of Domestic Violence, Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation, Violence Intervention Program, and Voices of Women
- The direct service providers for their dedication to service
- The volunteers for their commitment
- The men who denounce violence and respect women
- To ALL the marchers for their spirit and endurance despite the rain
- Assembly Member Adriano Espaillat for the funding support
- Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito for the funding support
- The Fort Washington Heights Presbyterian Church for the use of their space
- Taller Boricua/Julia de Burgos Cultural Center for the use of their space
- Reverend Carmen Rosario for the heartfelt Invocation
- Reverend Claudia de la Cruz for the inspiring Benediction
- Elsa Montilla from the Rossy Elsie� Bridal Shop in Paterson, NJ www.rossyelsie.com for the donation of wedding dresses
- Group USA The Clothing Company www.GroupUSA.com for the donation of wedding dresses
- To the women who donated their �no longer precious� wedding dresses�Especially Do�a Francisca
- To the elected officials whose addressed the marchers with heartfelt words�Adolfo Carrion, Bronx Borough President, Senator Eric Schneiderman, Senator Bill Perkins, Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat and Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito
- NYS Assembly Members Adam Clayton Powell for attending
- Harlem-One-Stop, the East Harlem Preservation and the African American Planning Commission for posting the March on their websites
- AfterDark CATV PRO www.catvpro.org/Caicedo Production www.caicedoproductions.com for the HERspanic Heritage Month Celebration 2008 Honors
- The Manhattan Neighborhood Network for the public service announcement
- Radio Vision Cristiana/La Mujer de Hoy and Bronx Net/Open for the broadcast interview
- El Diario/La Prensa for the pre-march article
- Willian Aleman/LMS-AudioVision www.lmsaudiovision.com
- Connie Sounds
- The NYPD Community Affairs office and Domestic Violence units of the 33, 44, 40, 41, 25, 28, and 23 precincts for the escort
- And, an ENORMOUS Thank YOU to La Mega 97.9 and Amor 93.1 for the amazing weeklong around the clock promotion of the March.
To register for an email alert of the posting of the 2008 pictures and video, email BridesMarch@aol.com
