The Nashville Coalition Against Domestic Violence will host the 21st annual “Meet Us at the Bridge” ceremony Saturday, September 20 to honor victims of domestic violence and recognize those working to end it.
The event marks the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness Month and will feature the reading of names of 12 individuals who lost their lives to domestic violence in Nashville over the past year.
Family members and loved ones will drop purple roses from the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge in their memory.
Mayor Freddie O’Connell is scheduled to attend, alongside family members, advocates, and community leaders.
The coalition will also present its annual MUATB Awards to individuals and organizations for their work in combating domestic violence.
This year’s recipients include the Mary Parrish Center as Outstanding Service Provider, Detective Joshua Beauchesne as Outstanding Law Enforcement Leader, the General Sessions Domestic Violence Court as Outstanding Government Official, and Survivors First — a partnership between the YWCA and District Attorney’s Office — for Innovative Program.
Rusty L. Burdge will be recognized as Outstanding Survivor.
The ceremony will take place from 9 to 10 a.m. on the bridge, with free parking available at Nissan Stadium’s Lot R.
Since its inception more than two de- cades ago, the event has honored more than 200 women, men, and children killed by domestic violence.
Organizers said the annual remembrance is both a call for healing and a demand for change in a state that consistently ranks among the highest in the nation for domestic homicides.
“Tennessee continues to be in the top 10 states for women killed by men, and one in four women will experience domestic abuse in her lifetime,” the coalition said in a statement.
“Metro Nashville police respond to 26,000 domestic violence calls each year.
This event reminds us of the real lives behind those numbers.”
The Nashville Coalition Against Domestic Violence is comprised of local agencies and advocates working to prevent and respond to domestic abuse.
Members include the Agape Morning Star Sanctuary, Davidson County District Attorney’s Office, Infinite Possibilities, Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Mary Parrish Center, Metro Nashville Office of Family Safety, Metro Nashville Police Department, Strings of Hope, Tennes- see Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, You Have the Power, and YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee.
Advocates said the “Meet Us at the Bridge” ceremony not only memorializes lives lost but also reinforces the community’s shared commitment to building a safer Nashville.
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