Strong At The Heart

This weekend began for me on an island off the coast of Honduras and ended–after a long an adventurous trip home–on the stage of the Van Duzer theater at Humboldt State University.

The occasion was the V-day performance of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues. And the reason I was on stage, with two other women, was to receive recognition as Vagina Warriors. The award recognizes people in the community who work to end violence against women and children.

With me were Fox Olsen, the director of Arcata House, a transitional housing program in our home town, and Cassie Burgess who coordinates the Sexual Assault Response Team. Cassie is on call around the clock to respond with support whenever a sexual assault is reported. Both these women do amazing work in our community.

What a sweet experience to stand with Fox and Cassie and to have the support and congratulations of the exuberant cast of the show and the audience.

In 26 years in my community I’ve seen a lot of performances in the Van Duzer, from Geoff Hoyle and Joan Baez to Dell’ Arte and the Peking Acrobats. This was the first time I looked out at the house from the stage.

The proceeds from the annual V-Day theater piece go to local organizations that support survivors of physical and sexual abuse and promote healthy relationships and healthy sexuality.

This photo was taken by Shelley Mitchell from way back in the audience. The people are, from the left, Cassie Burgess, two of the directors of the show, Fox Olsen, and myself.

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If you want to find out more about the work Cassie, Fox, and I are doing, we will be speaking at a reception this Thursday, 7-8 p. m. in the Green and Gold Room of Founders Hall on the HSU campus.