Zonta Club of Petoskey to take a stand against gender-based violence

The Petoskey News-Review
·2 min read
The Zonta Club of Petoskey Area will participate in the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign with a red dress display at the Petoskey District Library.
The Zonta Club of Petoskey Area will participate in the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign with a red dress display at the Petoskey District Library.

PETOSKEY — From Nov. 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to Dec. 10, Human Rights Day, the Zonta International 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign is a time to spur action to end violence against women and girls around the world.

The Zonta Club of Petoskey Area will participate in this campaign with a red dress display at the Petoskey District Library. Organizers said that often Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit - MMIWG2) go missing three times — in life, in the media, and in the data. The hanging red dresses honoring the MMIWG2 who never made it home, or who have been harmed by violence, are meant to strengthen awareness of this crisis in a visually striking way.

Infographics and brochures will also be available during the 16 days of Activism. Follow Zonta Club of Petoskey on Facebook for daily social media posts during the campaign.

The display will take place in the library lobby, located at 500 E. Mitchell St., starting Nov. 27 and will end Dec. 10.

Zonta Club of Petoskey thanked Meredith Kennedy of Miigwech, Inc. for leading a MMIWG2 presentation to the Zonta group; Stacey Ettawageshik Lead Survivor Outreach Specialist for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians for providing information and resources for the display; and the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan for loaning red dresses for the display from their Gold Mine stores.

Zonta Club of Petoskey was chartered in December of 1971 and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The club has donated more than $350,000 to area organizations in their 50 years, and raises money each year to provide grants to organizations and initiatives that support and empower women and girls in the area. Zonta Club of Petoskey is one of 38 clubs in Michigan and one of 1,100 clubs worldwide with more than 28,000 members. Zonta International celebrates 102 years of service this year.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Zonta Club of Petoskey to take a stand against gender-based violence