Weho to Join V-Day Movement

West Hollywood joins a global stand for an end to violence against women this week with several city-sponsored events.

Weho will celebrate the 15th anniversary of V-Day—a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation and sex slavery—by hosting a series of events that include:

• The Southern California kick-off of One Billion Rising happens Thursday, Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. at the Sal Guarriello Memorial Park (intersection of Holloway Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard).  
• MENding Monologues will be performed Saturday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. in the West Hollywood City Council Chambers, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd.
• A writing workshop by actors in MENding Monologues takes place Sunday, Feb. 17 from noon-4 p.m. in the West Hollywood Park Auditorium.

"This is such a critical and powerful campaign," West Hollwywood Mayor Pro Tempore Abbe Land said in a statement. "I hope that you will join me for this kickoff event to rise and dance for the 1 billion women who are victims of violence and rape. Rise with us to show the world that West Hollywood respects the rights and dignity of every woman and girl to break the chain of violence."

The One Billion Rising event, which is a single-day global action consisting primarily of dance strikes, will include comments from members of the West Hollywood City Council and representatives from V-Day/One Billion Rising.

Dancers from Flash Mob America will perform choreograpy by dancer, actress and choreographer Debbie Allen. Those interested in participating in the performance can learn the dance at 9 a.m. Thursday at Sal Guarriello Memorial Park or online.

MENding Monologues is inspired by Eve Ensler’s play The Vagina Monologues. The 90-minute show featuring first-person monologues and slam poetry explores gender violence issues from a male perspective.

For more information and to RSVP to the city’s One Billion Rising event, call 323-848-6460 or email wehovday@gmail.com.

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