Why the Color Purple for Domestic Violence Awareness Month?
By Michael Fonda M.A. Prevention Educator
It’s October. October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. Have you ever wondered why purple is the color chosen to represent domestic violence? According to Bourn Creative, purple is often associated with royalty, nobility, luxury, power, and ambition. Furthermore, the color purple is a rare occurring color in nature and as a result is often seen as having sacred meaning. The color purple has a variety of effects on the mind and body, including uplifting spirits, calming the mind and nerves, enhancing the sacred, creating feelings of spirituality, increasing nurturing tendencies and sensitivity, and encouraging imagination and creativity (www.bourncreative.com/meaning-of-the-color-purple).
So why is this amazing color used to bring attention to a behavior described as the violent and emotional/psychological abuse of one person in a relationship to control the other person? We know domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women — more than car accidents, muggings, and sexual assaults combined (domesticviolencestatistics.org/domestic-violence-statistics/). The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports 1 in 3 women have been the victim of physical violence in their relationship (ncadv.org/learn-more/statistics).
Those are the ones we know about. How do you measure emotional/psychological abuse? Which one is worse, physical or emotional/psychological? Some women have stated that the emotional/psychological abuse was worse than the physical. Then there’s financial abuse. We know that domestic violence happens in all relationships: people married, not married, heterosexual, males, females, gay, or lesbian, living together, separated or dating. And then there’s the impact on children. Some studies suggest that up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually. The love of a pet can also be exploited to abuse and control a person. How can one simple color manage to bring awareness to all this?
Even with the aid of the internet, it was difficult to determine the precise reason purple is the selected color for domestic violence awareness. One explanation of why purple is the chosen color is because of Lisa Bianco. In the 1980’s, Lisa Bianco left her abusive relationship and worked her way to being a director of the battered women’s program in her community. However, after her abuser’s temporary release from jail, he crossed state lines, found her and murdered her. Her friends and family wanted to remember the life of this beloved woman and chose to wear her favorite color in her honor.
Yet another account from Rose M. Garrity, board president of National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), stated the women’s suffrage movement utilized purple, white and gold in the early 1900s as those were the colors of the National Women’s Party. The colors started in England and symbolized purity, hope and loyalty (www.domesticshelters.org/domestic-violence-articles-information/the-color-purple#.V-PeTqz2bcs).
Lastly, according to a 2013 article in the Times Union, the reason for favoring purple is because in the United States military the Purple Heart is presented to those who have been wounded while serving. For survivors of domestic violence, who may also be wounded both physically and emotionally, the color is meant to be a symbol of peace, courage, survival, honor and dedication to ending violence (blog.timesunion.com/santabarbara/its-domestic-violence-awareness-month-the-color-is-purple/118).
No matter which source’s explanation is accurate, today more than ever, amidst a pandemic that has created an even more dangerous situation for survivors experiencing domestic violence, the most important thing is that we do bring attention to this issue and support, not judge, victims/survivors of domestic violence. The Sexual Assault & Crime Victim’s Assistance Program work with victims/survivors of domestic abuse 24/7. Since 1979, its free program is committed to reducing the trauma of sexual assault, crime, and violence, as well as providing community education for its prevention. It is dedicated to creating a supportive, caring environment for victims/ survivors and their families to enhance the healing process. For more information, please call (518) 271-3410
Sources:
blog.timesunion.com/santabarbara/its-domestic-violence-awareness-month-the-color-is-purple/118)
www.bourncreative.com/meaning-of-the-color-purple/
www.domesticshelters.org/domestic-violence-articles-information/the-color-purple#.V-PeTqz2bcs
http://domesticviolencestatistics.org/domestic-violence-statistics/
http://ncadv.org/learn-more/statistics
Published: Tue, 06 Oct 2020 12:15:41 +0000 by s.mccarthy