One of the questions raised and discussed by the WIVP supported HBO documentary Private Violence was the age old question, why doesn't she just leave? After the NFL Ray Rice domestic violence case, this question was asked over and over by a public who didn't understand the dynamics of domestic abuse. Many brave voices came out on social media led by domestic violence survivor Beverly Gooden, who created the "#whyistayed" hashtag that went quickly went viral on social media.
We wanted to add voices and stories to that historic moment. The Private Violence team filmed the stories of four eloquent survivors to create the piece.
They are Leslie Morgan Steiner,survivor, author and TED presenter; Mildred Muhammed, activist, mother, and survivor of abuse by her husband John Muhammed, otherwise known as the DC sniper; Kit Gruelle, advocate, activist, and survivor, and visionary and subject behind Private Violence, and Bev Gooden, who anchors the piece.
“Why we stayed” premiered in 2015. It has been shown in schools, communities, universities, and to law makers and has been viewed on various sites over 70,000 times.
The piece will live on Youtube, free and available to anyone who needs it for education, awareness, training, or anyone who needs to understand they are not alone.