Heal, Hold & Center Reflection Guide

For DVAM and beyond, the Domestic Violence Awareness Project calls on us to Heal, Hold & Center survivors, especially those navigating anti-Blackness and other systems of oppression. We know there is no survivor justice without racial justice. We must work together to embrace the many cultural ways we can heal from violence and oppression, hold space for survivors, and center those most marginalized in all of our efforts to end domestic violence.

This guide offers an opportunity to dig deeper into each piece of the theme – Heal, Hold & Center – as well as its connection to the broader core message, No Survivor Justice Without Racial Justice. The prompts throughout the guide can be utilized through personal reflection, in organizations with fellow advocates, with survivors who may or may not access formal services, in community spaces with those invested in peace and justice, with the general public via social media or awareness events, and elsewhere.

In this guide, you will find conversation starters, considerations, and prompts for personal and organizational reflection. Marketing materials, sample social media posts, and related materials featuring the #HealHoldCenter theme are available for your use and adaptation at: www.dvawareness.org/HealHoldCenter.