Confronting Violence: Improving Women’s Lives/Enfrentando la Violencia: Mejorando la Vida de las Mujeres is a dual-language traveling exhibit from the National Library of Medicine. Activists and reformers in the United States have long recognized the harm of domestic violence and sought to improve the lives of women who were battered. Beginning in the late 1970s, nurses pushed the larger medical community to identify victims, adequately respond to their needs, and work towards the prevention of domestic violence. This is their story.

Peninsula College at Forks, 481 S. Forks Ave.: September 25 – October 13.
Port Angeles Main Library, October 16 – November 4.

Public parking and building access at both locations are free and open to the public.

Learn More Online
The Confronting Violence gallery of exhibit content (English only) can be viewed through the National Library of Medicine. Additional resources are available through the education portal.

The National Library of Medicine produced this exhibition and companion website.

Best Practices: Innovative Domestic Violence Programs in Health Care Settings, Janet Nudelman, Nancy Durborow, Marya Grambs, and Patrick Letellier, 1997. Courtesy National Library of Medicine.

El poder de contarlo (The Power to Tell), by M.i.A. Mujeres in Action
This powerful short documentary follows the stories of various Latinx immigrant women who overcame abusive relationships. Filled with hope, they continue to fight for a better future for themselves and their families.

• Documentary and Panel Discussion (primarily in Spanish)
  Peninsula College at Forks, 481 S. Forks Ave.
  Thursday, October 12 at 6:30pm
  Following the documentary, panelists—including local Forks community members—will speak about their own experiences and discuss access to services and the direct impact of domestic violence on the Hispanic community in a localized context. A representative from M.i.A. will also participate on the panel. The panel discussion will be primarily in Spanish, with side-by-side interpretation available for English-speaking attendees. Representatives from Mariposa House will be available with information about local resources during the event.
• Documentary and Reception
  Port Angeles Main Library
  Tuesday, October 17 at 6:30pm
  English subtitles will be available throughout the screening. After the documentary, a reception in the Port Angeles Main Library will allow attendees to attend an after-hours viewing of the exhibition. Representatives from Lower Elwha Family Advocacy Program and Healthy Families of Clallam County will provide information tables with local resources during the reception.

“El poder de contarlo” is also available to view free online. Visit the M.i.A. Mujeres in Action website to learn more about this Spokane-based organization.

This program is generously funded in part by local Friends of the Library groups.

Women rally in City Hall Plaza in Boston to speak out against violence against women, 1976. ©Ellen Shub 2015 all other rights reserved.

Activists with the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence participate in the first Jane Doe Walk for Women’s Safety in Boston, 1992. ©Ellen Shub 2015 all other rights reserved.