'#EndIt' raises relationship-violence awareness

Ten million people every year are affected by relationship violence, according to the National Institutes of Health. To raise awareness on this issue, Eastern Connecticut State University hosted its annual relationship violence awareness event, "#EndIt," on Oct. 1, the start of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The event honored Alyssiah Wiley, an Eastern student who was tragically murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2013. The event featured resource tables, engagement activities, guest speakers, basketball challenges, and prizes to educate the campus community.

“In response to the tragic loss of Alyssiah Wiley in our community due to intimate partner violence, I wanted the Eastern community to keep her memory alive and raise awareness among our current college students who may be involved in unhealthy relationships,” said event organizer and sociology Lecturer Brenda Westberry.

Westberry said she wanted students to “leave the event motivated and educated to promote consent, communication, and accountability in their own lives and within their communities.”

Represented at the event were on- and off-campus resources, such as the Women and Families Center, CT Safe Connect, Restore and Rise Survivor and Ally Circle, the Sexual Assault Crisis Center of Eastern Connecticut, and Juliet’s Jacket Drive, a charity project that collects new jackets and donates them to children who have been affected by sexual or domestic violence.  

Students can learn more about these resources through the Sexual Assault and Interpersonal Violence Response Team, Eastern’s dedicated unit providing support to victims and survivors.

Activity tables were designed to engage attendees, such as “Hidden Impact,” where students were challenged to guess the number of candies in a jar and match it to a statistic related to domestic violence.  

Other activities included sharing songs that were related to messages of resilience and writing letters to survivors of domestic violence.

Keynote speaker Ruthie Bolton, a two-time Olympic medalist in women’s basketball, shared her personal story with domestic violence and how she got out of the situation with the support of her family.

“I was afraid to tell my teammates what was going on ... but I turned my pain into power by sharing my story and using the platform that was given to me,” she said.

Later, State Trooper Shane Bowes, Eastern alumna Paige Briggs ‘22, and Juliet’s Jacket Drive founder Juliet Kinerere were awarded the Making a Difference in the Community Awards for their significant contributions to domestic violence education, prevention, and awareness.

The event wrapped up with basketball games at Geissler Gymnasium, where Bolton showcased her talent and challenged attendees to think critically about preventing domestic violence.