SHU Frat Spotlights Domestic Violence with White Ribbons

FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Sacred Heart University fraternity Delta Tau Delta recently presented its annual White Ribbon Campaign in conjunction with the Center for Family Justice in Bridgeport, to raise awareness of domestic violence. 

The Center for Family Justice aims to break the cycle of abuse and violence by providing services that create hope, restore lives and drive social change through education and community collaboration. That ties in with the White Ribbon Campaign, which is an international effort to stop violence against women. It started in Canada in 1991, when an all-male group decided to speak out about men’s violence against women. The Toronto-based group took action after learning about the massacre of 14 women at the University of Montreal in December 1989. The campaign has become part of Delta Tau Delta’s local philanthropy.

“We, meaning all of the people in this room, are beacons of hope to the community around us,” said SHU junior Arthur Natale, chapter president of Delta Tau Delta. “And while it is necessary to reach as large an audience as we can, we must realize that it is the people in the shadows that most desperately need our help.” 

Other speakers included SHU President John J. Petillo, Fairfield Police Chief Gary MacNamara and Ruth Parker, a survivor of domestic violence.

MacNamara expressed support for the campaign by launching the social media hashtag #MenCareToo, to promote male awareness of female abuse in Fairfield and neighboring communities. 

Parker gave her intimate account of her experiences with domestic abuse and how she escaped her abuser. 

“For a victim of domestic abuse to have the strength to come speak and inform us about what she has been through and what she has overcome was truly an act of bravery,” said Ashley Thomas, a sophomore who attended the event.  

For more information about the White Ribbon Campaign or Delta Tau Delta’s local philanthropy, contact Natale (natalea61841@mail.sacredheart.edu) or philanthropy chair James Craven (cravenj5@mail.sacredheart.edu). 

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Submitted by Fairfield, CT

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