V-Day Brooklyn 2009 Great Success

Photo courtesy of Georgine Benevenuto.

Women Against Violence (WAV) a violence prevention organization located in Bay Ridge sponsored a local production of Eve Ensler’s “A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer” at New Utrecht High School on Thursday, April 23, 2009. The production was a part of V-Day 2009 a global movement to end violence against women and girls and an effort to raise money for local domestic violence organizations. The show was produced by New Utrecht High School alum, Virginia Cantone and the cast was comprised of a diverse group of men, women and teenagers from the community including Anthony Rinaldi, Executive Chef of The Pearl Room; Mr. Harrigan, Principal of P.S. 229 and Mr. Jason Jacobs, teacher at New Utrecht High School and head of the school’s domestic violence committee. The monologues addressed the issues surrounding violence against women including domestic and cultural brutalities, objectification and peer abuse; they were written by authors such as Maya Angelou, Jane Fonda, Susan Miller, Dave Eggers and Kathy Najimy. Over 100 members of the community turned out to support the event including Councilman Vincent Gentile and Assemblyman Peter j Abbate, Jr. All proceeds from the this V-Day 2009 event benefitted Women Against Violence, Women of Democratic Republic of Congo, Safe Horizon, Voices of Women Organizing Project and Day One.