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Roanoke proclaims Domestic Violence Awareness Month; survivor art exhibit opens
Summary
Roanoke City Council proclaimed Oct. 24 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and heard from an artist who led survivor-centered embroidery workshops displayed at City Hall; council and partners highlighted local increases in domestic-violence-related calls and promoted community resources.
Mayor Sherman P. Lee proclaimed Oct. 24 as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and invited artists and service providers to the podium to describe a new survivor-focused exhibition on display at City Hall.
Lena, the artist and project lead, told the council the eight-week program paired survivors with volunteers and community partners so participants could create and safely take home artwork. "Survivors are often silenced in very suffocating ways," Lena said, and described the project’s goal as creating a safe space where people "can sit with those people in our community that are most isolated." Jessica Pruitt of Total Action for Progress (TAP) was recognized as a key partner who helped make the program safe and accessible.
The proclamation cited national and local statistics read into the record: "1 in 3 women and 1 in 7 men experience intimate partner violence," and it noted that domestic-violence-related calls to Roanoke police rose by 40% in 2023. Mayor Lee and council members thanked the artists, TAP and the Roanoke Arts Commission for the exhibit and encouraged residents to use city and nonprofit resources. The proclamation also noted a 24-hour hotline for survivors (listed during the meeting).
The council placed the proclamation and remarks within regular presentations; no formal policy action followed from the presentation. Council members said they would continue supporting survivor services via existing grant-funded victim services and local nonprofit partnerships.
The exhibit is on the first floor of the Noel C. Taylor Municipal Building (cited during the meeting) and was presented as part of public awareness and resource-building for survivors.
