Silent No More candlelight vigil amplifies voices during Domestic Violence Awareness Month

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — 50 years ago, when Davida Foy Crabtree helped start the Prudence Crandall Center she could have never imagined the crowd of people before her in New Britain on Wednesday. “It’s really a sign of hope and healing,” she said. People spoke out against domestic violence during a month dedicated to bringing awareness to it. 

“We know that people who experience domestic violence are living in fear. They’ve been threatened and intimidated and they often feel as if they don’t have a voice. So we are their voice,” said Barbara Damon, president and CEO of the Prudence Crandall Center. The Prudence Crandall Center now offers a wide range of support and resources, including an emergency shelter, counseling and court-based services. “Domestic violence happens to one in four women and one in seven men that’s victims of domestic violence,” Damon said. “In Connecticut, the average is about 14 people every year murdered as a result of domestic violence.”

Shenia Walker of Bristol was one of those people in 2013. “Her smile would light up a room it was everything, was everything,” said her sisters Taffie Walker Dudley and Tammie Walker. They help keep her memory alive for her sons and want to make sure no other family goes through what they did. “People end up losing their lives and loved ones end up losing people they love and it’s devastating,” Tammie said. They share the same belief that talking about the issue can be a light in the darkness. “Most important. It should be spoken about every month,” Tammie said.