Imagine one billion women and those who love them rising up and standing together in solidarity to put an end to violence against women and girls.  It’s happening around the world, as well as right here in Northern Michigan at North Central Michigan College’s Student and Community Resource Center at 12:15 p.m., Thursday, February 14.

ONE BILLION RISING began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that one in three women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime.  With the world population at 7 billion, that amounts to more than one billion women and girls. On February 14, 2013, individuals in northern Michigan will join activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities, and women and men across the world to express outrage, strike, dance, rise up and demand an end to violence against women and girls.

The ONE BILLION RISING campaign was devised by prominent activist Eve Ensler who began V-Day, a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls 15 years ago.  In conjunction with the 15th anniversary of V-Day, the organization launched its most ambitious campaign: ONE BILLION RISING.  The campaign encircles the globe and forces attention on the epidemic of gender-based violence.

“Some may think that violence against women and girls is only a problem in other parts of the world, for example in India with the recent gang rapes of women,” said Jan Mancinelli, Executive Director of the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan.  “Let’s not forget just a week ago a CMU student was abducted and raped as she left a campus building.  And during the past year, the Women’s Center provided immediate support and direct services to more than a thousand domestic abuse and sexual assault survivors who came to us from Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet and Otsego counties.  This is a local and a worldwide epidemic affecting our mothers, sisters, daughters, partners and friends.”

The Women’s Center is collaborating with Girls on the Run of Emmet and Charlevoix Counties and North Central Michigan College on what they are calling the ONE BILLION RISING Flash Mob Event.  They are working with local dance and aerobics instructors to hold a variety of practice sessions to learn the dance created by three-time Emmy winner, Debbie Allen.  

The community is showing early support of this event:
•    Harbor Springs High School is busing female students and staff to North Central Michigan College to participate in the Flash Mob Event.
•    Harbor Springs High School will hold four sessions in the high school gym to learn the dance from 11:45 a.m. to 1:38 p.m. on January 31, February 5, 7 and 13.
•    North Central Michigan College will hold three practice sessions 12 p.m., Wednesday, January 30; 1 p.m., Friday, February 1; and 5:30 p.m., Tuesday February 5 (in the gym, court #3).
•    Studio Health and Fitness in downtown Petoskey (behind Ben Franklin Crafts, alley entrance) is holding dance practice sessions and incorporating the dance into Zumba classes during February.  Practice sessions are at 6:45 p.m. on Monday, February 4 and Wednesday, February 6.
•    Charlevoix Public Library will hold nine practice sessions: Tuesday, January 29 at 5:00 p.m.; Wednesday, January 30 at 3:00 p.m.; Thursday, January 31 at 4:00 p.m.; Saturday, February 2 at 12 noon; Wednesday, February 6 at 3:00 p.m.; Thursday, February 7 at 4 p.m.; Saturday, February 9 at 12 noon; Tuesday, February 12 at 5 p.m.; Wednesday, February 13 at 3:00 p.m.
•    North Central Michigan College Student Senate is getting on board…both women and men.

To learn more, contact the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan at (231) 347-0067, visit wrcnm.org and click on ONE BILLION RISING or onebillionrising.org.