DIVERSITY MATTERS
NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2017
INSIDE THIS ISSUE DVAM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2 Puerto Rico Donations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Veterans Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hispanic Heritage Month. . . . . . . . . . . . 2 NDEAM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Native American Heritage Month. . . 4 Lichterman and CESA Awards. . . . . 4 Religious Holidays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Community Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Mildred Muhammad
UTHSC EVENTS RECOGNIZE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH by Peggy Reisser, Communications Coordinator III, Communications and Marketing
Most victims of domestic abuse do not have visible scars.
OFFICE OF EQUITY AND DIVERSITY TEAM uthsc.edu/oed/staff Michael Alston, EdD, CCDP/AP Assistant Vice Chancellor
Amber Carter Publications Editor, Diversity Matters
Dustin Fulton, MS Sr. Equity Assurance Administrator
Lauren Rotonda, JD, MBA Sr. Inclusion Strategist
Sophia Mosher, MPA Administrative Aide
The University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/ Section 504/ADA/ADEA/V institution in the provision of its education and employment programs and services.
Abuse that is verbal, psychological, or financial is as real as physical abuse. Identifying and helping victims of this type of abuse is difficult, but imperative. That is the message that Mildred Muhammad, ex-wife of D.C. sniper John A. Muhammad, a domestic abuse survivor, brought to Memphis last week at the invitation of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, the Memphis Crisis Center and the Family Safety Center. She shared the message with faculty, staff, and students in talks on campus, and with the community on radio, television, in print, and at a free forum on October 28 at UTHSC. A powerful advocate for domestic abuse victims, Muhammad was the keynote speaker at the second annual Bridging Troubled Waters, a public forum aimed at ending domestic violence, resolving conflicts peacefully, and building healthy relationships. More than 200 people registered for the forum that was held in observance of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Breakout sessions, including one Muhammad facilitated, offered participants advice, support, and resources. Topics included emotional intelligence with a focus on why victims stay in abusive relationships, the forgotten victims and the impact of domestic violence on the family, and empowering victims through the church. “Eighty percent of victims don’t have physical scars to prove that they are victims,” she said. Often, these victims become isolated from family and friends and suffer in silence because of fear, embarrassment, and a desire to shield their children from the truth. “There are some families who love the abuser more than the victim,” she said. “They are looking for scars as evidence of abuse, instead of watching the behavior.” Continued on next page 1