The Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) will host a White Ribbon Day (WRD) Art Exhibit event on Friday, March 3rd, from 4 to 7 pm at the health and social services organization’s Dorchester office, at 1 Stoughton Street. This event, which is open to the public, is MAPS’ way of reaching out to all males in the Portuguese-speaking community to join the White Ribbon Day initiative to end violence against women and all gender-based violence.
MAPS has invited a group of male artists from the Portuguese-speaking community to each exhibit 4 to 5 pieces of artwork. Confirmed so far are visual artists Alexandre Henrique, Tierry Tavares, Ricardo Nassif and Yuri Ferreira, who will share with the guests their personal interpretation of their art pieces, reflecting themes of female empowerment, self-worth, non-violence and respect. State Representative Evandro C. Carvalho will also be at the event to show his commitment to the cause and to share a few words with the audience.
“This is a great opportunity for the community to have an open discussion around these often uncomfortable topics,” said Dulce Ferreira, MA, MAPS Director of Domestic Violence (DV) and Sexual Assault (SA) Services. “Confronting stereotypes about masculinity and having men and boys be a part of the effort to end violence against women and gender-based violence is crucial if we want to build a more respectful, equal society.”
In addition to the March 3rd event, MAPS will also take part in the annual Massachusetts Statewide White Ribbon Day Proclamation Event, scheduled for March 1st at 1 pm The Great Hall – Faneuil Hall, Boston. This event is organized by Jane Doe Inc., the Massachusetts coalition of organizations providing support to victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. For more information about Jane Doe Inc., please visit www.janedoe.org.
The WRD Campaign was created in 1991, on the second anniversary of one man’s massacre of 14 women in Montreal, to urge men to speak out against violence against women. Since then, it has become a worldwide campaign in 60 countries that has collected more than 5 million signatures. MAPS has been part of the initiative since its inception in Massachusetts, and MAPS Executive Director Paulo Pinto, MPA, served as the co-chair of the 2012 campaign.