This month, we join to celebrate PRIDE. We recognize that the inclusion of LGBTQ individuals is critical to building a healthy community.

History of PRIDE Month – Remembering the Stonewall Riots

https://www.biography.com/news/stonewall-riots-history-leaders

• Stonewall Riots took place in New York on June 27^th & 28^th of 1969. A bar had been raided and attendees (most identified as LGBTQ) were being violently arrested in public. Previous to this event, police raids were common in LGBTQ spaces. On this particular day, bar attendees were fed up and started protesting and rebelling against the police. The following year, June 1970, the very first PRIDE parade was held in Manhattan in honor of the Stonewall Riots. The Stonewall Riots were believed to be the beginning of the LGBTQ movement to equality.
• In June 2014, Former President Barack Obama recognized Stonewall Inn as a National Historic Landmark—the first in LGBTQ history.

DV/SA in the LGBTQ Community

We recognize that DV/SA can happen to anyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

How to get involved

Participate in your local PRIDE parade/festival. Find your closest PRIDE parade here.

 

Celebrate with us!

In honor of PRIDE month, we will be posting weekly visibility posts throughout the month of June. Like us on Facebook  or follow us on Instagram @CPAForg to see our posts.

 

Some of the students we work with at San Gabriel High School joined Peace Over Violence’s students for a night of fun and karaoke! We believe that a part of ending violence in our communities is bridging the gap and building relationships!

Advocates are at the very core of CPAF, serving the mission and goals of the organization and working in the community to prevent violence. CPAF’s Family Advocates at our shelters work with clients and their families to find safe housing, secure income, and process the trauma they have experienced. Our Intervention Program Advocates at the Community Center answer hotline calls, work with non-residential clients, and facilitate healing and support groups for survivors. Volunteers serve as advocates by getting involved with many aspects of CPAF’s work and provide critical support to our shelter, community center, and community-based programs.

 

Introducing our newest way to be a CPAF Advocate…

 

Help CPAF expand its reach, promote messages that support survivors, and advocate for accountability, justice, healing, restoration, and an end to the cycles of domestic violence and sexual assault in our communities. Join us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CPAForg/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/CPAForg/. 

 

If you’re looking for a way to support CPAF and the movement to end cycles of violence, becoming a Digital Advocate is a great first step! Contact volunteer@cpaf.info for more information about how to become a Digital or Volunteer Advocate.

April was Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), and we invite you to join us in our year-round effort to raise awareness about sexual violence and the fact that it affects so many in the communities we serve. As we celebrate CPAF’s 40th anniversary this year, we look forward to working in partnership with you, our supporters, and many communities in this ongoing effort to prevent and end all forms of violence.

In April, we organized and participated in 10 activities and involved more than 250 people in support of ending violence, bringing us to a total of more than 600 community members engaged since January. In honor of SAAM, here are a few highlights of our community activities from this past month:

#RIPSexual Violence Awareness Campaign – Throughout April, we engaged our community via social media. We asked community members to Recognize the signs of sexual violence, to Intervene and support our survivors, and learn ways to Prevent the violence before it starts.

Comcast NBC Universal “Comcast Cares Day” – The Asian Pacific Americans @ NBC Universal employee resource group convened 27 volunteers to our CPAF Community Center to assemble children’s welcome kits and mother’s day gift baskets for the families we serve; build two large storage cabinets and a bookcase; clean and organize our Community Center kitchen, counseling room toys, IT room, and more!

Healthy Relationships Workshop with UPLIFT – CPAF staff conducted a Healthy Relationships workshop with UPLIFT Los Angeles, an undocumented Asian and Pacific Islander (API) youth-led organization that advocates on behalf of immigration legislative issues. As many undocumented youth may struggle with many barriers in wanting to report abuse in their personal relationships, CPAF staff led an open discussion about issues regarding domestic and sexual violence, and services provided by CPAF that can help.

Earth Day Hike with Shelter Clients – CPAF team members led two different hikes with some residents of our transitional and emergency shelters. The families enjoyed a day of hiking and connecting with nature, as we celebrated Earth Day, and all that Mother Earth has to give to us.

Denim Day, April 25, 2018 – In honor of Denim Day, various CPAF team members spoke at different locations to discuss sexual violence in light of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, as well as the importance of voicing consent in all our relationships. We spoke at several schools, including San Gabriel High School, Occidental College, and University of Southern California. We also joined San Gabriel Valley Medical Center to be interviewed on in-language media and provide more information on how we work with the hospital to help those affected by sexual violence.

Arbor Day at CPAF – In celebration of Arbor Day, some of our CPAF staff and clients planted a baby Meyer lemon tree, and had a butterfly and ladybug release afterwards. A lemonade reception followed, where CPAF staff led a tasting of several different homemade lemonade recipes.

CPAF’s Shelter Director, Patima Komolamit, was named a “SHEro” by the National Organization of Sisters of Color Ending Sexual Assault (SCESA) – read more in our blog post here.

Please visit our 40th Anniversary page to learn about upcoming events, as we continue to engage with you – our community – to end domestic and sexual violence.

Thank you for your support of the families we serve. We thank you for caring and demonstrating your support for survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

Thank you for joining us as we kick off CPAF’s 40th Anniversary in 2018 – we’re celebrating 40 years of engaging the community to end domestic and sexual violence through culturally-grounded crisis intervention and violence prevention. From January through March, we’ve conducted 14 activities and involved more than 300 people in support of ending violence.

Here are a few highlights from our community activities from January through March:

JANUARY

• Advisory Board Reunion – Members of CPAF’s Advisory Board gathered at CPAF’s Community Center in Koreatown to discuss activities supporting the families we serve.

FEBRUARY

• “Good Touch/Bad Touch:  Boss of Your Own Body” Workshop – our staff presented a workshop to approximately 35 four and five-year olds, parents and teachers at Bread of Life Christian Children’s Center in the South Bay. The presentation catered to children and helped them identify what parts of their body were considered private and what is “good vs. bad touch”.
• Consent Week Programs at Marymount California University – our staff conducted two 1-hour workshops (one each in Mandarin and English) to discuss teen dating violence (types of power & control), healthy relationships, and how to support a friend who discloses abuse.
• Former Staff & Intern Reunion – We reunited with more than 40 people – many former CPAF staff/interns – at Gardena Valley Baptist Church this past February.  What a privilege to meet folks who have been part of CPAF’s journey, those on whose shoulders we stand!  We acknowledged and appreciated their contributions over the years and invited them to bring CPAF with them into the next 40 years.
•  “Friendraiser” – one of our board members hosted a gathering in downtown Los Angeles and invited CPAF to speak about the work we do to engage people in helping end domestic and sexual violence in our communities.
• According to the Urban Institute, 52% of teens who experience digital abuse are also physically abused. Because February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, we wore orange to support our Prevention program youth and raise awareness of this issue.

MARCH

• Women’s History Month & International Women’s Day Online Awareness Campaign – Our intent was to inspire and raise awareness about powerful, impactful women, which can also serve as a healing activity.
  • We posted a tribute to CPAF’s Founder, Nilda Rimonte. Under Nilda’s leadership, CPAF developed the first multi-lingual 24-hour hotline and the first multi-lingual, multi-cultural domestic violence emergency shelter specialized in serving API survivors in the nation.
  • Some of our clients created collages (see photos in slideshow) and found this activity to be empowering. In the collages, a handful of clients chose to honor themselves or recognized their own beauty despite what other messages they have heard.

• “Butterfly in the Sky” – Our friends at Genever in LA’s Historic Filipinotown – one of the few women-owned and run bars in the nation – donated a portion of proceeds to CPAF from their “Butterfly in the Sky” cocktail in honor of International Women’s Day on March 8.

Join us and let’s nurture change together. Visit our 40th Anniversary page to learn about upcoming activities and ways to participate.

Thank you for your support – you are demonstrating that the community cares about survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Knowing that others in the community support their healing serves as a symbol of hope for the families we serve.

 

This year has been an important one for raising awareness about sexual assault. From the #MeToo movement to the #TimesUp campaign, sexual assault awareness has been a topic of conversation around kitchen tables, work places, classrooms and online for the past few months. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) so we want to keep these conversations surrounding sexual assault going into April and for months to come.

 

Recognize: learn to spot the signs.

Learning to recognize the signs is the first step in ending sexual violence. You can visit https://www.nsvrc.org/saam to learn more about sexual violence and different awareness month activities. You can also invite a CPAF representative to speak about building healthy communities and ending violence at your local events.

 

How to get involved during SAAM

In recognition of SAAM, join @CPAForg as call for sexual violence to be laid to rest. For good.

Use #RIPSexualViolence and stay tuned for more posts on our Facebook and Instagram about how to Recognize the signs, Intervene and support survivors, and Prevent violence before it starts.

We are giving away free SAAM awareness kits to those who are interested in participating in our #RIPSexualViolence campaign. To receive an awareness kit and a free #RIPSexualViolence sticker, please:

1. Like our #RIPSexualViolence post  (Facebook or Instagram)
2. Follow us @CPAForg (Facebook or Instagram)
3. DM us your mailing address (your information will kept confidential and deleted after use)

Upon liking our post and following our page, you will be automatically entered into a raffle to win a CPAF swag bag. The winner will be announced at the beginning of May.

 

Facebook Profile Frames

We are also launching 3 Facebook profile frames for the #RIPSexualViolence campaigns.

 

 

Starting today, you can change your profile picture to one of these three frames! Visit www.facebook.com/CPAForg/ to update yours today.

 

In honor of women’s history month, CPAF is sharing stories about women who have inspired them. CPAF’s own story begins with Nilda Rimonte, a woman who sought to address an issue she saw in her own local community—Asian Pacific Islander (API) immigrant women experiencing domestic or sexual violence with no place to turn to for help or services.

 

Under Nilda’s leadership, CPAF developed the first multi-lingual 24-hour hotline and the first multi-lingual, multi-cultural domestic violence emergency shelter specialized in serving API survivors in the nation.

 

This month, CPAF honors Nilda’s legacy and celebrates the power of one woman to speak out against injustice, to take action in the service of her community, and to galvanize others to join her cause.

 

 

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Click here to find out how you can get involved.

Click here to find out more about our 40th Anniversary campaign.

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