The herstory of the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NYSCADV) parallels the herstories of programs and organizations within the domestic violence movement: the struggles for adequate funding, defining the vision, incorporating new vision and theories, fighting for legal rights and entitlements, and striving for inclusiveness and diversity within the movement. We take pride in our record of meeting challenges from within and without the organization in a way that consistently, steadily, painfully, and exuberantly fights violence against women in their homes.

NYSCADV was conceived during a conference at Syracuse University in 1978. The purpose of the conference was to provide education in working with women who are abused, and to develop a statewide network. Local and regional networks eventually came together in a statewide coalition, which held its first meeting attended by six people in Greene County.

During the early days, NYSCADV struggled to define its purpose and goals. Behind the long discussions and philosophical debates, the work of coalition building flourished: programs were networking with one another, comparing various or similar struggles with law enforcement or family courts, sharing notes on fund-raising, blending the voices of women who were abused and advocates.

In 1979, the trial of Bernadette Powell, a black woman being tried by an all-white jury for the murder of her abusive husband, mobilized NYSCADV into its first event. Coalition members went to Albany to witness the trial, packing the courtroom to protest the unjust treatment of women who are abused who kill their husbands in self-defense. Tragically, the defense was unsuccessful in introducing testimony that sufficiently explained the dynamics of domestic violence and Bernadette Powell was sentenced to serve time at Bedford Hills Correctional Institute.

During the late seventies, NYSCADV grew with the help of feminists and visionaries who believed in our work. VISTA workers assigned to the Governor's Task Force on Domestic Violence gave staff time to the work of organizing and incorporating the NYSCADV. Pam Daniels, Candy Butcher-Fuller and others in the New York State Department of Social Services (DSS) encouraged us to seek funding. Marjorie Fields attended Coalition meetings and provided inspiration. In 1981 NYSCADV $67,000 from DSS to develop a hotline and organize a network.

Once the basic organizational framework was in place, the Coalition began to look at issues that continue to pose the greatest challenges for the membership and the Board: issues of inclusiveness, diversity, and response to the needs of all regions of the state. In 1983-84, the Board recognized the need for diversity and committed itself to bringing formerly abused women and women of color onto the Board. In 1985, the Coalition started the Spanish hotline. The objective of inclusiveness has not come easily, and the formation of task forces has been an important step in challenging the status quo of traditional leadership.

The Women of Color Task Force, initiated in 1985-6, paved the way for the Task Force for Battered and Formerly Battered Women, the Lesbian Task Force, and the Rural Task Force. Task Forces serve to safeguard diverse representation on the Board, to network and share concerns, and to bring to the attention of the membership issues of concern to women who are abused in all their diversity. Task Force meetings provide opportunities for members to explore and struggle with issues that may be too risky or taboo in their home communities.

The speak-out at Bedford Hills in 1987, organized by the Task Force for Battered focused public attention on issues such as incarceration of women who are abused, mutual orders of protection, stalking, and child custody. Perhaps the greatest measurable success of NYSCADV has been the passage of legislation guaranteeing maintenance monies for domestic violence programs. Thanks to the hard work of the NYSCADV staff, membership and Board, New York State has committed itself to ensuring that women who are abused have safe shelters, advocacy, crisis intervention, and local hotlines throughout the state.

For more than two and a half decades NYSCADV has remained steadfast in its efforts to eradicate violence against women by consistently providing technical assistance, training and guidance to domestic violence programs across the state of New York. The needs and priorities of domestic violence programs throughout New York State and the women and children they serve are paramount in all of the Coalition's work.

Even more central to the story of the Coalition are the countless victims of domestic violence whose lives, and deaths, made our work imperative. The truth they spoke horrified and shamed us, and their courage and strength amazed and humbled us. Moreover, their realities belied the myth of equality and justice in our communities. We have learned that men's violence against women cannot be confronted unless oppression of every kind is similarly challenged. Any injustice keeps all justice a distant dream. The social change we seek leaves no one behind. May we never stop learning from such resilient women and children, whose patience and persistence make us better advocates and people.

Learn more about the Coalition's Mission and Services or if you wish to inquire about NYSCADV Membership, making a Donation , or for general assistance please contact our office:

NYSCADV
350 New Scotland Avenue
Albany New York, 12208
Phone: 518-482-5465
Fax: 518-482-3807
Email: nyscadv@nyscadv.org