Womanspace had always been an organization I admired, for its mission and for the link to Barbara Boggs Sigmund whose accomplishments, energy and presence really made an impact over the years. The idea of working with an organization that had a mission founded on the belief that women deserved to feel safe in their homes, and that bringing women’s equality into that discussion was an important part of finding solutions, was very appealing to me.
In my first two years building the first government funded partnership between a domestic violence and Latino organization, I learned how much I don’t know and how much there always is to learn. I also knew that Deaf survivors weren’t coming to us…so I learned from my Deaf partners how to fix the problem and went on to forge a very successful partnership to assist Deaf survivors. I learned I love my job, my work and everyone I work with. I learned that if you are committed to this work, that commitment doesn’t end when you walk out the door at night-it becomes a part of who you are.
The mission of Womanspace is as important now as it was 41 years ago. It has shifted and grown to include work beyond safety, such as longer-term counseling, prevention, community education and awareness building. The work of Womanspace and victim services organizations everywhere has changed laws and created a paradigm shift in how people view domestic and sexual violence. Our first annual fundraising attempt was so difficult, because people didn’t talk about domestic violence, and certainly men didn’t. Now we invite men to join us in our fight against domestic and sexual violence and they are signing on. It is a wonderful thing to experience.
Womanspace had two archaic unused computers when I started…we now have a computer on every desk. Maybe not significant in and of itself, but this demonstrates how the work of the agency has had to move forward to keep up with the rest of the world. Technology can be a huge help and in this field technology can sometimes exacerbate and already volatile situation. We’ve had so many other good changes…partnerships with law enforcement and with child protective services. Partnerships with the courts, Latino organizations and homelessness organizations. Invitations to speak and train other professionals. The recognition that domestic violence is an critical health care issue with screening happening in doctor’s offices, hospitals, mental health agencies.
In my 25 years I have learned that attitudes can change, that partnerships can happen between the least likely of organizations, that no one organization can do it all and we need each other to effect change…competition is not the answer, cooperation is the answer. And I’ve learned that the resilience of the human spirit is immeasurable.
-Pat Hart
