Annual Silent Witness Unveiling Against Domestic Violence

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Harford County is welcoming the wider community of Harford County to participate in their annual Silent Witness Initiative Ceremony. As October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, this program works to that end to increase community awareness of very real and sobering fact that domestic violence pervades through our local communities, neighborhoods and homes. Victims are not nameless, nor are they very far removed from our everyday lives.

The mission of the Silent Witness Program is to promote peace, healing and responsibility in adult relationships in order to eliminate domestic murders in the United States. Each year, the Fellowship erects on its front lawn, wooden silhouettes that represent real victims of domestic murder within Harford County. The figures are then unveiled in a ceremony of healing and in an affirmation of the life of those affected by domestic violence. The ceremony will be held on October 5th at 11:30AM, directly following Sunday service at 10:30AM. Guest speakers this year include Harford County’s State’s Attorney, Joseph Cassilly, Harford County Sherriff, Jessie Bane, and a guest speaker from SARC. All are welcome to join in this gathering.

The UUFHC minister, Reverend Lisa Ward, states “this is an event that ripples throughout Harford County and is appreciated by countless folk rebuilding their lives in the wake or in the continued struggle with domestic violence.”

The Silent Witness Initiative Program was started in September of 2001. With a grant from Harford Community College, supplies were purchased to build ten Silent Witness figures. Members of UUFHC came together on two weekends to construct the figures. Since then, 5 additional figures have been added, representing victims of domestic murders in Harford County between 2000 through 2005.

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For more information regarding the Silent Witness Initiative, please visit our website at http://www.uufhc.net/silent_witness.html, or you may also contact Jackie Beresh, Domestic Violence Task Force Leader at bereshjm@yahoo.com or Reverend Lisa Ward at revuufhc@verizon.net.