Written by: Andrew Grunes, Marketing and Event Intern at the ACA
A large crowd gathered in the Mandela Room at Binghamton University on Friday, February 14, 2025 for the “One Billion Rising: Rise for Freedom!” Event. This event celebrated the power of solidarity among women and their allies who demand an end to violence against all women and girls. A theme of the event was that it was not in fact an “event” but rather part of a movement to empower women and raise awareness to gender based violence. It was hosted by the Chairperson of the DEI Committee of the Social Work Department, Monica Adams. The atmosphere was filled with activities, speakers, performances, “edutainment”, and refreshments.
Among the speakers was our very own Deputy Director, Laila Hernandez, who discussed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which allows abused non-citizens to self-petition for a pathway to U.S. citizenship. VAWA is one of many immigration applications processed by the ACA for hundreds of clients seeking to adjust their immigration status or obtain immigration relief.
Other speakers included Matthew McConn, Saumya Tripathi, and Katherine Mikulski. One of the performances featured Amira Randolph, the Mission Impact Director of YWCA who performed her original song “diary of a sad black femme”. In addition three students: Isadora Herold, Kearra Doheny and Sakena Kearse performed the poem “Phenomenal Women” by Maya Angelou. Some organizations in attendance to note are PULSE (Powerful United Ladies Striving to Elevate), The Rise Shelter, the Binghamton Feminist Collective, 21:1 Prevention Programs, B-Healthy, YWCA, the Department of Social Work, Crime Victim Assistance Center, A new Hope Center, ACBC, UDiversity Education Institute. The ACA was also able to participate with an informational table featuring our services.
