ST. LOUIS, MO – St. Louis will celebrate unity with women around the globe and demonstrate against violence at the One Billion Rising event, held each year on Valentine’s Day. Free and open to the public, One Billion Rising St. Louis will take place on February 14 from 12pm to 2pm on the second floor of the Chesterfield Mall at The Connection STL (#632), a space for cultural and creative community events. With more than one hundred events held simultaneously around the globe, One Billion Rising is the largest mass action to end violence against women in history. The event is marked by a dance, taught at the event, that women around the world will dance at the same moment, 1pm in St. Louis.
Especially relevant in light of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements that have shined a light on harassment and assault against women, this year’s official theme is Solidarity Against the Exploitation of Women: Rise, Resist, Unite. In addition to dancing together, the sixth annual One Billing Rising St. Louis will showcase St. Louis organizations working to end violence and empower women, including Turning Point, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense. Speakers will include Patrice Billings, the first female police helicopter pilot and a democratic candidate for Missouri State Senate District 2; Pooki Lee, founder of The Connection STL; Ellen Reed of Turning Point and Sharon Campione, chapter leader of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in St Charles County.
“One Billion Rising is an important display of the value women have in our community and around the world,” said Patrice Billings, candidate for Missouri State Senate for District 2. “No matter where we come from, or what we have experienced in life, we can overcome our adversities. We survive. We come together. We change the dialogue. That is what this event is about.”
One Billion Rising St. Louis is sponsored by Butterfly & Moon, a boutique on Main Street in Saint Charles, and The Connection STL.
“Now is the time to stand up with women, for women everywhere and show our solidarity. Women are coming together like never before to support each other in a time when the rights we have fought so hard for are now at stake. If there was ever a moment to stand together now would be that moment,” said Pooki Lee, founder of The Connection STL.
ABOUT ONE BILLION RISING
The international One Billion Rising campaign, launched on Valentine’s Day 2012, began as a call to action based on the staggering 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. Dance is central to the event because, according to the One Billing Rising website “many women across the world see dance as liberating and empowering. The act of public dance can be part of a process of reclaiming and reentering their bodies. It also provides a disruptive, joyful and artistic way of resistance.”
For more information about One Billing Rising St. Louis or to RSVP, visit https://www.onebillionrising.org/events/one-billion-rising-st-louis-dance-flash-mob/
or the Facebook event page http://bit.ly/1BillionSTL or call Pooki Lee from The Connection at (314) 412-4984. For more information about the international One Billing Rising initiative, watch this video http://bit.ly/1BillionRisingVideo and visit https://www.onebillionrising.org.
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Rachel Brown
[email protected]
314.266.7035