The Library is partnering with Doorways for Women and Families to help bring awareness to Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Join us in the Central Library Auditorium for these powerful documentaries about domestic violence, and take part in a discussion after each film. And don’t miss The Clothesline Project, on display at the Columbia Pike Branch Library and other locations around the County.

Film schedule:

Sunday, Oct. 3, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Telling Amy’s Story 
Hosted by actress and activist Mariska Hargitay, and told by detective Deirdri Fishel, Telling Amy’s Story follows the timeline of a domestic violence homicide that occurred on November 8, 2001. Amy’s parents and co-workers, law enforcement officers, and court personnel share their perspectives on what happened to Amy in the weeks, months, and years leading up to her death. While we will never be able to change the ending to Amy’s story, we hope that its telling can change outcomes for the millions of victims, survivors, and loved ones affected by domestic violence every day.

Sunday, Oct. 10, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Sin By Silence
Inside the California Institution for Women, the first inmate initiated and led group in U.S. prison history, shatters the misconceptions of domestic violence. Convicted Women Against Abuse (CWAA) was created in 1989 to help women inside prison break the silence about abuse and learn more about what they needed to do to help others stop the cycle of violence. Instead of fighting a system that does not fully comprehend the complexities of abuse, the women of CWAA led an initiative to help educate the system. Through careful orchestration of letter writing campaigns, media coverage, and senate hearings a movement was born and laws for battered women were changed. And for the founder of CWAA, the flicker of hope begins to grow as her possible freedom, after 26 years in prison, lies moments away.

Sunday, Oct. 17, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. – My Girlfriend Did It
One in four women will experience Intimate Partner Violence (IVP) in their lifetime regardless of sexual orientation, race, socio-economic status, age or educational background. In response to this reality, Casa de Esperanza produced My Girlfriend Did It, a documentary film that explores IPV in lesbian relationships by highlighting the struggles and resilience of women who share the impact of violence in their lives.