This week on The Local Take I talked with Alma Davis, founder of the Alma G. Davis Foundation, about their upcoming "Dinner For Divas" event in celebration of 150 Domestic Violence survivors.
This is the 10th anniversary of the dinner which is taking place on Saturday, June 8th at the Georgia Aquarium. I ask Ms. Davis why she decided to host an event for survivors.
She speaks about her own experiences with domestic violence which resulted in black eyes as a teenager.
Davis shares the dismal statistics around domestic violence including that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic violence. While this might be shocking, those numbers are probably low as most often domestic violence isn't reported.
The Dinner for Divas is celebrating 10 years of providing survivors with a "Cinderella" experience. Survivors ranging in age from 13 to over 60 will receive a makeover from volunteer stylists, make-up artists and beauticians. They get to walk the red carpet and feel beautiful. Davis explains that you have to raise the self-esteem of survivors in order to educate them about healthy relationships. This year along with pampering and dinner the survivors will also receive a self-defense class.
For more information on the Alma G. Davis Foundation
For more information on the Dinner for Divas
If you find yourself in trouble in a domestic violence situation, you can contact the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-334-2836 for a quick referral to a nearby safe space.
The Local Take with Kiplyn Primus features discussions about critical issues facing Atlanta and profiles of organizations doing important work in the communities served by WCLK. As public broadcasters it is part of our mission to engage with the community and feature people and issues that aren't always covered by mainstream, commercial media outlets.