The #WhyIStayed campaign aims to help those impacted by domestic violence find comfort and a voice in knowing they are not alone.Award-winning social advocate Beverly Gooden will speak on domestic violence at the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Tuesday, March 21. Passionate about changing lives for the better, Gooden says she is committed to empowering others by sharing her emotional and gripping personal story.
The 7 p.m. lecture will take place in the UAB Hill Student Center Ballroom. The event, sponsored by UAB Student Involvement and Leadership, Wellness Promotion, and Student Advocacy, Rights and Conduct, is part of the UAB Lecture Series. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. The free event is open to the public.
Gooden is known for creating the viral Twitter movement and hashtag #WhyIStayed. The campaign aims to help those impacted by domestic violence find comfort and a voice in knowing they are not alone. #WhyIStayed was named by Time magazine as one of the Top 10 Hashtags That Started a Conversation and one of eight Hashtags That Changed the World, according to CNN affiliate HLN.
Beyond her hashtag, Gooden is an activist, writer, speaker, women’s health advocate and founder of the Ella Mae Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides practical support, guidance and services to victims of domestic violence. She was featured in the short film “Why We Stayed,” by the Emmy-nominated producers of the HBO Documentary Film “Private Violence.”