A new limited podcast series called “Let’s End Domestic Violence: Heal, Restore, Prevent” features conversations with today’s leading domestic violence prevention experts about how we can break the cycle and end domestic violence in California.
(left to right) Bonnie Boswell, journalist; Trina Greene, founder and Executive Director of Parenting for Liberation; Kelli Dillon, Gender-based Violence Prevention Program Analyst with the City of Oakland; Karen Earl, Executive Director of the Jenesse Center; and Eric Morrison-Smith, Executive Director of the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color
Nationwide — This Black History Month, Blue Shield of California Foundation is presenting the limited series podcast Let’s End Domestic Violence: Heal, Restore, Prevent, which spotlights Black leaders in California who are working to end domestic violence and create a safer future for Black families and communities.
The podcast series celebrates Black trailblazers who all share a common goal to end domestic violence in California including Karen Earl, Executive Director of the Jenesse Center; Dr. Teiahsha Bankhead, Executive Director of Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth; Kelli Dillon, Gender-based Violence Prevention Program Analyst with the City of Oakland; and Sonya Young Aadam, CEO of the California Black Women’s Health Project.
In Episode 4, “Elevating Solutions and Impacts in the Black Community,” Trina Greene, founder and Executive Director of Parenting for Liberation, spoke to the hope that youth provide in the fight to change systems that perpetuate all forms of violence.
“The children are our future, but not in the cliche way. What I admire about young people is that they still have curiosity, they still have a radical imagination. And I feel like trauma, racism, white supremacy, all the things — all the -isms — it strips us of that as adults. We don’t believe things are possible. And so what brings me hope is supporting the folks that I work with,” Greene said.
In the fifth and final episode, renowned activist and author Angela Davis reflects on the idea of hope and the current moment of change for domestic violence prevention and healing.
“This is a period unlike any other. People would like to think about the 60s as the revolutionary period. But I think this is the revolutionary period,” said Davis. “If we do the work we say we’re doing, and if we do move forward, there will be those who want to go back to the old days. Those who want to go back to the period when racism was unchallenged when patriarchy was the way people thought the world functioned. So that’s actually an indication of the fact that we’re making progress. I feel very hopeful.”
Both conversations also touched on the need to engage whole communities in prevention and healing solutions in order to address the multi-generational nature of domestic violence.
“Part of the reason why we use [the phrase]‘intimate partner violence’ is to really highlight the fact that this is actually an issue that impacts entire families,” said Eric Morrison-Smith, Executive Director of the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color. “I think in a lot of times people think it’s just interpersonal between maybe a husband and a wife, or partners, but these issues actually bleed into impacting children and then it also impacts the entire community. We’re really talking about safe relationships, and that’s what builds safe communities.”
All 5 episodes of Let’s End Domestic Violence: Heal, Restore, Prevent can be found at letsenddv.org/podcast as well as on Spotify, Apple Music, and Buzzsprout.
About Blue Shield of California Foundation
Blue Shield of California Foundation supports lasting and equitable solutions to make California the healthiest state and end domestic violence. When we work together to remove the barriers to health and well-being, especially for Californians most affected, we can create a more just and equitable future. The Foundation is an independent nonprofit, funded entirely by contributions from Blue Shield of California. Learn more at blueshieldcafoundation.org
