Community comes together for Domestic Violence Awareness Vigil

The Yuma community came together for the annual Domestic Violence Awareness Vigil, sponsored by the Yuma County Victim Rights’ Committee.

“I have found that there is life outside of those four walls that was a prison that I used to call home,” shares speaker and survivor Heather Griffith.

Griffith refuses to live her life defined by labels. Instead, she chooses to defy the odds and claim her own title. She has been identified as a Marine, a victim and a survivor, but now she’s working on giving herself the title, “Conquerer”.

“It was a struggle for me to find that person I was before the abuse,” continues Griffith, “I have come to realize that I may never find that person again, but I can build on the person that I have become.”

Griffith shared the stage with her teenage daughter, Dakota Barnett. Barnett once witnessed her mother’s abuse firsthand, and is now a Peer Counselor at The Healing Journey–helping other children experiencing what she once did.

“I think that’s what most people like me or in domestic violence situations ask is, ‘Why?’,” shares Barnett, “I used to ask myself, ‘Why didn’t she say?’ ‘Why didn’t I stop it?’ ‘What could I do to prevent something like this from ever happening?’ How could I stop it?’.”

The Domestic Violence Vigil not only featured Griffith and Barnett sharing their story, but Senator Lynn Pancrazi (D) read a proclamation declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness month for Yuma County.

“This year we added the counselor component so that anyone who was here in the audience would see that there are agencies and could see how these counselors are able to help them overcome what they’re going through,” explains Alicia Franco, Senior Paralegal and Chairperson for the Yuma County Victim’s Rights Committee Paralegal at Community Legal Service.

“Yes, bad things have happened to them, but they’re sitting in my office and they’re talking to me,” explains therapist Troy Love, “That, in it of itself, is proof that they are a survivor.”

Griffith and Barnett led the community in releasing purple balloons into the sky–symbolizing the release of the past and freely entering the future.