At the request of Thomas Memorial Library Director Rachel Davis, the Town Council made a proclamation declaring July as Cape Elizabeth Breaks the Silence of Domestic Abuse Month at their June 9 meeting.
Davis has been working with the Cape Elizabeth Police Department and the statewide non-profit organization Finding Our Voices to raise awareness and provide services for people struggling with domestic abuse. Cape Elizabeth will be joining many other Maine towns who have partnered with Finding Our Voices to bring survivor-powered domestic abuse-awareness campaigns to their communities.
Although the request for the July proclamation was initiated by the Library Director, the intent of the proclamation is to make the awareness campaign an annual town-wide event. During the month of July, residents of and visitors to Cape Elizabeth will see yellow displayed throughout the town including in public offices. According to Patrisha Mclean, Finding Our Voices CEO and founder, yellow being the color of her group symbolizes domestic abuse survivors who “have managed to cross over to the bright side of safety and freedom, shining a light for our sisters who are still in the dark.”
McLean’s photo portraits of 50 Maine survivors–including Governor Janet T. Mills–are featured in the group’s ground-breaking domestic abuse-awareness posters. The July exhibit in the Stier Family Gallery at the library will feature a selection of these posters, as well as artwork created by Maine high school students through the Finding Our Voices “This is Not Love” campaign.
On the evening of July 15, the library will host a Finding Our Voices Survivor-Speaks panel discussion on domestic abuse. That day, Finding Our Voices will hold an outdoor rally educating the public about the domestic abuse that is all around us.