Tyler Roses Rising Joins Global Campaign

TYLER — This afternoon at 12:30 p.m., Tyler Roses Rising will join with activists around the world for One Billion Rising. According to information from the East Texas Crisis Center, the event is the largest day of action in the history of V-Day, the global activist movement to end violence against women and girls.

Organizers say the event began as a call to action based on the statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than one billion women and girls. According to a news release, on Thursday,Tyler Roses Rising “will join activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities, and women and men across the world as we express their outrage, demand change, strike, dance, and rise in defiance of the injustices women suffer, demanding an end at last to violence against women.” Thursday marks V-Day’s 15th anniversary.

“When we started V-Day 14 years ago, we had the outrageous idea that we could end violence against women,” said playwright/activist and event creator Eve Ensler. “Now, we are both stunned and thrilled to see that this global action is truly escalating and gaining force, with union workers, parliament members, celebrities, and women of all backgrounds coming forward to join the campaign. When we come together on February 14, 2013 to demand an end to violence against women and girls it will be a truly global voice that will rise up.”

Locally, supporters will be gathering on the square in downtown Tyler at 12:30 p.m. to raise awareness about the aforementioned statistics. Free t-shirts will be given away “while they last,” according to the news release. To learn more about V‑Day Tyler Roses Rising, e-mail the organization at [email protected] or call (903) 952-1492. You can visit visit http://www.vday.org to learn more about V‑Day and its campaigns.