28th Annual Domestic Violence Conference
The Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention, in partnership with the Domestic Violence Council, invites you to attend the 28th Annual Virtual Domestic Violence Conference.
The high prevalence of domestic violence in our communities requires us to re-examine our prevention and response strategies and recognize the complexity of the issue within our families and communities.
Webinars will take place on October 15th and 22nd and will focus on Exploring the Intersections of Domestic Violence with other social issues, such as homelessness, human trafficking, LGBTQ rights, and sexual assault. Because intimate partner violence is such a complex issue, the solutions must also be complex – requiring community-specific strategies to promote health, wellness, and leadership among our diverse population. Participants will be provided with concrete tools and frameworks for understanding how to effectively engage in the work and cultivate strong communities with an overarching culture of safety, equity, and respect.
FEATURED KEYNOTES
Elevating the Voices of Survivors of Domestic Violence, April McGill
California Consortium for Urban Indian Health - Red Woman Rising Project
The Red Women Rising Project is dedicated to uplifting the voices of Urban Indian survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault through increasing awareness around Urban Indian women’s domestic violence issues and enhancing survivors' access to domestic violence services. The success of the Red Women Rising Project depends on addressing the issue of violence against Native Women with various approaches in order to promote healing at every stage of a survivor's journey and providing the tools and resources that make recovery possible. Take a look at what is being done to make the mission of Red Women Rising a reality.
- Educational Goals:
- Identify the intersection of historical trauma in the native communities and domestic violence
- Explain the importance of providing access to culturally-responsive resources
- Apply a holistic approach towards curbing the issue of domestic violence in Urban Indian communities
Meet April!
April McGill M.P.A. (Yuki, Wappo, Little Lake Pomo, Wailaki). April is a California Native living in San Francisco. She graduated from San Francisco State University in 2009 with a BA degree (Honors) in American Indian Studies. April moved to the Northwest in 2010 to work as a Research Assistant at Portland State University Regional Research Institute on the System of Care “Nak-Nu-Wit Project” for Native families receiving mental health services. While living in the Northwest, April attended Evergreen State College where she perused her Masters's Degree in Public Administration, Tribal Governance in 2012. April is very active in the Native American community in the Bay Area. April currently works as the Director of Community Partnerships & Projects for the California Consortium for Urban Indian Health (CCUIH) leading the violence against women Red Woman Rising Project (RWR) the Traditions of Health Project and currently the Getting Real About Stigma Reduction (GRASP) HCV prevention grant. In her activism and community work, she is the Coordinator for the American Indian Cultural Center of San Francisco pushing for the city to give the Native community a cultural arts and wellness center. "Having the teachings of my Yuki grandmother has taught me to always have a giving heart but to stay strong in spirit. I try to do that as much as possible in the work that I do for the community. Giving back is what maintains those teachings and nurtures my spirit in my own wellness."
Transgender Resilience, Sera Fernando
Silicon Valley Pride and Santa Clara County Office of LGBTQ Affairs
This presentation will focus on how domestic violence / intimate partner violence deeply affects transgender, nonbinary, and gender expansive communities, specifically, Black, Brown, and Indigenous transgender women, and how to support the liberation of transgender identities. We will discuss the historical violence toward trans identities, identify how systemic implicit bias physically and mentally harms trans bodies, and provide recommendations on reducing and/or eliminating toward the transgender community.
- Educational Goals – By attending this course, participants are expected to
- Identify how the intersections of transgender identity and implicit bias negativity impact a transgender person’s self-determination.
- Distinguish and self-reflect how privilege plays a role in both harming and empowering the transgender community.
- Learn tangible next steps on carrying out the creation of safe and affirming spaces for trans people to thrive.
Meet Sera!
Silicon Valley Pride and Santa Clara County Office of LGBTQ Affairs
Sera Fernando is the Chief Diversity Officer for Silicon Valley Pride and Senior Management Analyst for the Santa Clara Office of LGBTQ Affairs. As a DEI practitioner and grassroots activist, she also serves as Board of Governor for the Human Rights Campaign Bay Area and California District 28 Assembly Delegate. Sera leverages her platform in advocating for queer, transgender intersectionality and social justice, driving home the importance of equity and lifting up the voice of LGBTQ+ storytellers worldwide.
WORKSHOPS:
SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15
| Welcome 9:30 am – 10 am |
Land Acknowledgment, led by Calpulli Tonalehqueh and the Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley Acknowledgements and Conference Overview, presented by the Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention Domestic Violence Awareness Proclamation, presented by President Mike Wasserman - County of Santa Clara BOS |
| Keynote 10:00 am – 11:00 pm |
Elevating the Voices of Survivors of Domestic Violence April McGill - California Consortium for Urban Indian Health and the Red Women Rising Project |
| Session 1 11:00pm – 12:30pm |
Exploring the Intersections of Gender-Based Violence and Homelessness Community Solutions Perla Flores, Erica Elliot, Aida Zaldivar. |
| Session 2 1:30 am – 3:00pm |
Overcoming the Impact of DV by Economic Empowerment Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center and Community Solutions Ruth Silver Taube, Perla Flores, and Esther Peralez-Dieckmann |
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22
| Welcome and Awards Ceremony 9:30 am – 10 am |
Spoken Word Mindy Zin Award, Outstanding Advocate Award, Champion of Peace Award, |
| Keynote 10:00 am – 11:00pm |
Transgender Resilience Sera Fernando - SV Pride and Santa Clara County Office of LGBTQ Affairs |
| Session 1 11:00pm – 12:30pm |
Coercive Control in the Law: Origins and Implications of SB 1141 Pallavi Dhawan - LA City District Attorney Office |
| Session 2 1:30pm – 3:00pm |
Piloting AB372: Lessons from Year One Jennifer Lerch, Justice System Partners; José J. Cárdenas-Lomelí, Jr., Community Solutions; Guadalupe E. Ortiz, FCS Division of Caminar; Mandy Bley, University of Cincinnati Corrections Institute; Craig Carpenter, County of Santa Clara Probation Department. |