Gail Collins Honored at DVCC Luncheon

When New York Times columnist Gail Collins first began her career as a journalist, she never thought she would end up researching, and eventually, writing about women's issues.

"You take some strange paths in life," she said. "As far as what I thought I would specialize in, I never really thought about it."

But years later, with several best-selling books under her belt, including 2009's When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present, it's the very same topic that brought her to Stamford Wednesday afternoon.

Collins was the honoree and keynote speaker of the Domestic Violence Crisis Center's ninth annual Voices of Courage luncheon at the , which helps the agency raise funds to assist victims of domestic violence. With offices in Stamford and Norwalk, DVCC is the only domestic violence agency that serves the lower Fairfield County area.

America has dramatically changed its attitude towards women since Collins was in college. She reminisced about a rule that prohibited women from wearing slacks outside of the dormitory — unless they were going bowling. But there are two issues for women, she said, that still remain: balancing work/family life and domestic violence.

"[Domestic violence] is not a pleasant issue," she said. "It's an individual private issue that people don't talk about. It's embarrassing, but every story can be a teaching moment for America."

The luncheon, which attracts between 500 and 600 attendees each year, featured raffle drawings and speeches by DVCC members about the critical need for more services and education about domestic violence. The agency not only provides shelter and counseling to victims, its PeaceWorks program offers workshops and awareness events for students.

Executive Director Rachelle Kucera Mehra read off to attendees a few of the many injuries she has seen victims of domestic violence suffer from, including broken arms, bruised intestines and bite marks. "[Connecticut] represents one of the only states where [the number of incidents involving] domestic violence is increasing," she said.

During her speech, Collins recalled the recent scandal surrounding French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who was arrested and charged in New York City for sexually assaulting a maid in his hotel suite.

"We've all seen the headlines," she said. "It's a teaching moment for all young men in America... the first time a man touches you, you are out the door and you're not taking it anymore... when all women call the cops, we've done our job."

The luncheon also marked the inaugural Kathy Kincaid Award for "Putting Others First" in honor of the Westport resident that — before her death in 2010 — was a  DVCC board member. The award was accepted by Kincaid's sister and brother-in-law.