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November is Violence Against Women Awareness & Prevention Month. More specifically November 25th to December 10th are the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.
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Mossy Graphix
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Arlen Wiebe, Owen Sound, ON
As you may know this issue is very dear to me. Mossy Gatherings has taken spreading the awareness and advocating for change in this issue as top priority. We asked if any musicians wanted to help us raise awareness to submit a picture and a message. Over 30 musicians jumped on the idea and took part in this campaign. Some artists submitted their art work and songs too. It is amazing how influential the voices of artists can be on people.
Ryan Spendlove, Wakefield, England
Dan Hiltz, Owen Sound, ON
Intimate partner violence has a widespread ripple effect on society – children, employers, family, even the abuser himself, are all negatively affected by this. |
Leah Mathies, South Bruce Peninsula, ON (Photo taken in England)
Sarah MacDougall, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
Chicks with Picks: Morgan Lyall & Samantha Greavette, Owen Sound, ON
I address the issue in many ways in my own life. In Owen Sound, Ontario occasionally I am a volunteer men's counsellor. In this program we try to help men get out of the abusive cycle and become safe and respectful men. When I lived in New Brunswick I worked indirectly with the women's shelter. This is part of my life. At a young age, while in 13 foster homes, I was a victim of abuse and saw a number of women being hurt. In my nursing job I see evidence of abuse in patients.
Missy Bauman, Stouffville, ON & Andrew Nunno, Owen Sound, ON
Steenika Gilbert, Wiarton, ON
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Kaleb Nathaniel Hikele, St. Thomas, ON
Globally, intimate-partner violence affects more women than cancer, car accidents and war combined.
Adam Crossman, Bethany, ON
Erin McCallum, Alliston, ON
Shawna Caspi
This is on many hearts during these times. A song from Shawna Caspi:
"We will not be silent!" "We are louder than them!" "We are the voices that call out for those who cannot!" Wow, every word in this song is ...... wow! 
Zoltan Stewart, Owen Sound, ON
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Samantha Martin, Toronto, ON
Shawna Caspi, Toronto, ON
In my volunteer venture as a music promoter in Owen Sound, I am taking this opportunity to campaign with Musicians for Change: Awareness and Prevention of Violence Against Women through Actions & Pictures. Hopefully this might help spread the message of creating a safer world for women and children.
Jayden Grahlman, Owen Sound, ON
Composition by Nicholas Love, Toronto, ON
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Jay D. Stiles, Owen Sound, ON
Alysha Brilla
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Very talented performer, singer/songwriter, educator, clothing designer, advocate, artist, fellow dog person, and friend Alysha Brilla answers my question at the 11:00 time mark and takes three minutes on the topic of "how men can participate in gender equality". Excellent response. Thank you Alysha. You are a great inspiration to many people. |
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Marshall Veroni, Toronto, ON (Owen Sound)
Heidi Rose, Lion's Head, ON
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Many women feel such a sense of shame that they do their best to keep their abuse and pain hidden, so you’d be surprised at just how many women you know personally who have been or are currently being abused.
Don Campbell, London, ON
Poor uneducated women are mostly victims of abuse. This is a huge misconception. For some reason people think that women with more education or financial stability are less likely to be abused by their partners, but the truth is that violence affects women from every socio-economic background.
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RPR: L-R Rob Ritchie, Steve Ritchie, Beaker Granger, Al Parrish, Owen Sound, ON
Drew McIvor, Owen Sound, ON
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Shannon Rose, Ottawa, ON
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Composition by Jay D. Stiles, Markdale, ON
Kemble Mountain: Brian A. Hopson, Alan Glicksman, Michael McLuhan, Zoe Kessler, Allegra Connor, Owen Sound & Kemble, ON
Susan Schank, part of One Heart Drummers and Singers Owen Sound, member of Chippewas of Nawash at Neyaashiinigmiing
 Jeremy Cooper, Owen Sound, ON
“We need a revolution of respect, love and consciousness” - Jeremy Cooper
Joel Morelli, Kitchener, ON
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Jay Hoffman, Owen Sound, ON
Composition by Tyler Beckett, Owen Sound, ON
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Albert Saxby, Essonville, ON
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Kate Reid
In the introduction to the song "Revolution" Kate indicated that this is a song about violence against women, specifically male violence against women. (As you know this is an issue that is dear to me and one that I am very open about in the community as I do my best to raise the awareness of this and to advocate for change.) I got my cell phone ready.
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This song is so powerful and emotional!
Here is the video with permission by the artist. Thank you Kate for writing such a song, and working compassionately through your art to make the world a safer place for women and girls.
"What about this war on women that is right in front of you? ........How are we going to love our sons and daughters and teach them loving kindness too? What are we going to do? .........This ain’t no revolution if we stand silently by and watch! ...........This ain’t no revolution until we know that rape is a war crime!"
Here is the video with permission by the artist. Thank you Kate for writing such a song, and working compassionately through your art to make the world a safer place for women and girls.
"What about this war on women that is right in front of you? ........How are we going to love our sons and daughters and teach them loving kindness too? What are we going to do? .........This ain’t no revolution if we stand silently by and watch! ...........This ain’t no revolution until we know that rape is a war crime!"
Larry Andreas Jensen, Owen Sound, ON
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Blood From a Stone
She gets home from work, working such a long day Working for the man, working for the short pay She does it for her son, she's raising on her own She does it for the one she's raising all alone Cause he did not have the stones to stick around He drank too much and beat her up They're better off him gone, better off alone It would be easier, getting blood from a stone And that man that she works for, he grabs her from behind He grabs her when he wants to and he grabs her all the time And he tells her that she likes it but she's just too shy to say And she really should do better or he just might dock her pay Then he screams at her and points towards the door I mean what the hell else do you think I'd hire you for; cuts to the bone That would be easier than getting blood from a stone Blood from a stone, maybe it's all getting better Hey Ms. Jones bring me a coffee and take off your sweater You really are quite pretty but you really are quite dumb And don't forget the golden rule, the golden rule of thumb And if our culture is the thing that bangs the drum It's the way we raise our daughters, the way we raise are sons That's what they'll own It should be easier than getting blood from a stone She gets a new tattoo, it takes away the real pain She says it's therapeutic, as red as any blood stain It's back there on her shoulder, a rose and why she did it To endure what was inflicted, she covered up and hid it Like she covers up the deep humility She tells no one and just pretends She's still the girl she used to be standing on her own That would be easier than getting blood from a stone 
Kelly Babcock, Owen Sound, ON
Men are definitely abused by women, and it’s just as horrible. However the statistics are what speak loudest here – for example, 9 out of 10 deaths in a domestic violence context are women killed by their male partners.
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Art Work by Cedar Heidi Rose, Lion's Head, ON
Udo Van Roosbroeck and his girlfriend Uschi", Mechelen, Belgium
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How can my fellow men act on making positive change in our world to end violence against womyn?
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How can we as individuals change the conversation in our world to end violence against womyn? How can my fellow men act on making positive change? I would like to start by quoting from a song written by a Canadian musician, Kate Reid: "What about this war on women that is right in front of you?...How are we going to love our sons and daughters and teach them loving kindness too?...What are we going to do?...This ain’t no revolution if we stand silently by and watch! There needs to be Change. We need to “Rethink”. Not all men are the problem. We can all be part of the solution! |
Alysha Brilla, singer-songwriter and David Moss-Cornett, Artistic Director of Mossy Gatherings.
WOMYN is an egalitarian term meant to give the female human being their own name and sense of identity.
WOMYN is feminist. It is progressive. It is strong and it is meaningful. In my view, our world needs feminist womyn, men and non-gendered peoples to take a stand on behalf of 'women's rights'.
http://www.womyn.net/
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Violence against womyn is NOT just a political issue. It is a cultural and social issue. It is your issue, my issue. It is our issue! Violence is not just about murder, or physical abuse, but it can also be emotional, financial, and sexual.
I recently asked my friend singer-songwriter, recent Owen Sound SummerFolk performer, Alysha Brilla the question: How can men participate in attaining gender equality for all people of the world?
"The First thing, as with anything, is education. A lot of men and womyn think that everybody had equal rights and yet womyn are underrepresented politically, socially, religiously. It is still an issue. It is 2014. Womyn have had to fight for their rights, even to vote in Canada. Today, womyn still have to fight for things. This is something that continually needs to be spoken about, educated about and fought for! Number One - Education: watch documentaries on feminism, read books on it, listen to songs about it, talking to womyn, womyn who are comfortable talking with you, and asking them to share their experiences. Statistically one in two womyn whom you know will have had, or will have, experience in sexual violence, harassment, and sexism. Learning what that means to the womyn, listening to their stories is important. Do your own personal research: unfortunately this is something that is not always taught in schools.
When it comes to feminism: it is not just a matter of womyn reaching a certain peak. It is a matter of all human beings; no matter what they were born with between their legs or what they identify themselves gender wise – that they are all given the same rights, freedoms, liberties, emotional supports. Men can participate through learning about it.
Secondly: men can join, or be allies for, womyn’s movements. There are so many groups in which womyn and men are working together to strive towards a very chill planet. This is the ultimate goal. The idea of treating everyone with respect, no matter what our gender is – is so important."
Recently I ran a campaign called “Musicians for Change: Awareness & Prevention of Violence Against Women - through Actions and Words. You can visit www.mossygatherings.com to see submissions of: pictures and messages, poetry, art, and music clips on this issue.
I will leave you now with a quote from local singer-songwriter Jeremy Cooper: “We need a revolution of respect, love and consciousness”.
Mossy “David Moss-Cornett” Artistic Director of Mossy Gatherings Music Concert Series in Owen Sound. Alysha Brilla is a Canadian Musician and she will be performing at the Roxy in Owen Sound, Ontario on Friday, April 10th, 2015.
I recently asked my friend singer-songwriter, recent Owen Sound SummerFolk performer, Alysha Brilla the question: How can men participate in attaining gender equality for all people of the world?
"The First thing, as with anything, is education. A lot of men and womyn think that everybody had equal rights and yet womyn are underrepresented politically, socially, religiously. It is still an issue. It is 2014. Womyn have had to fight for their rights, even to vote in Canada. Today, womyn still have to fight for things. This is something that continually needs to be spoken about, educated about and fought for! Number One - Education: watch documentaries on feminism, read books on it, listen to songs about it, talking to womyn, womyn who are comfortable talking with you, and asking them to share their experiences. Statistically one in two womyn whom you know will have had, or will have, experience in sexual violence, harassment, and sexism. Learning what that means to the womyn, listening to their stories is important. Do your own personal research: unfortunately this is something that is not always taught in schools.
When it comes to feminism: it is not just a matter of womyn reaching a certain peak. It is a matter of all human beings; no matter what they were born with between their legs or what they identify themselves gender wise – that they are all given the same rights, freedoms, liberties, emotional supports. Men can participate through learning about it.
Secondly: men can join, or be allies for, womyn’s movements. There are so many groups in which womyn and men are working together to strive towards a very chill planet. This is the ultimate goal. The idea of treating everyone with respect, no matter what our gender is – is so important."
Recently I ran a campaign called “Musicians for Change: Awareness & Prevention of Violence Against Women - through Actions and Words. You can visit www.mossygatherings.com to see submissions of: pictures and messages, poetry, art, and music clips on this issue.
I will leave you now with a quote from local singer-songwriter Jeremy Cooper: “We need a revolution of respect, love and consciousness”.
Mossy “David Moss-Cornett” Artistic Director of Mossy Gatherings Music Concert Series in Owen Sound. Alysha Brilla is a Canadian Musician and she will be performing at the Roxy in Owen Sound, Ontario on Friday, April 10th, 2015.
