Community Healing and Connection

In 2014, my friend Katarina Frazier and I were looking for a meaningful service project for the Melrose High School National Honor Society. We were both involved with the teen dating violence prevention programming that Melrose Alliance Against Violence offered within the public schools, so we reached out to Rebecca Mooney, the Executive Director of MAAV, with a proposal for a coffeehouse fundraiser. We saw the talent in the Melrose community, spanning from elementary, middle, and high school students to local artists and musicians, and wanted to gather it for a good cause. Now approaching its ninth anniversary, what started as a conversation between two high school seniors has since turned into an annual event for MAAV.

Two years ago, I was excited to return to my hometown and perform for the 7th Annual Coffeehouse. I arrived in Melrose the weekend of the event, which fell on March 15th, 2020, and then didn’t leave home for months. COVID-19 hit, and the MAAV coffeehouse was one of the first of countless events to be disrupted in its wake. MAAV was able to pivot to a virtual coffeehouse for 2020 and 2021, but as we are all well-aware after two years of disembodied meetings and events, it is hard to capture the same spirit of community when we are apart. Although the pandemic is far from over and space will be limited at the event, it is significant that Melrose is able to gather together at the coffeehouse for the first time in two years.

I want to emphasize the potential and importance in gathering as a community. The coffeehouse aims not only to raise funds for MAAV’s gender-based violence prevention and survivor support programs, but also to provide a space for community members to share their voices, talents, and stories. Creating spaces like these is essential in combatting the harm caused by gender-based violence. Violence thrives on isolation and disconnection, whether through the controlling tactics of an abusive partner or the culture of silence imposed upon survivors of sexual assault. COVID-19 has intensified feelings of disconnection for all of us, and I especially feel for survivors of gender-based violence who have been separated from loved ones and critical resources throughout the pandemic.

This year, I hope the coffeehouse will again serve as a place where people can go to surround themselves in the energy of love, healing, and hope. I hope it gives people an excuse to say hello to a neighbor, to catch up with an old friend, to revisit shared memories or create new ones. I hope it creates a space for youth to practice using their voices and developing their ideas. I hope it’s a place where people feel like a part of something larger than themselves. I hope it helps someone to feel a little less alone.

Connection heals. Even if you are unable to attend the event this year, I hope you can find a moment to share with someone else this month. And thank you, Melrose Alliance Against Violence, for continuing to provide spaces, programming, and resources that strengthen our community.

The MAAV Coffeehouse: Voices Against Violence will be held at Temple Beth Shalom in Melrose at 4:00pm on Sunday, April 10th. Please visit www.maav.org to purchase tickets in advance for the event.