We’re All Aware that Domestic Violence is a Problem – Now What?

If we were to tell you we want to talk to you about a video with more than 10 million views and 14,000 comments on YouTube—one that went viral immediately—you might assume we’re talking about one involving a cute puppy. But we’re not.  We’re talking about that video: the one TMZ Sports released on September 8, 2014, in which former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punched his then-fiancée unconscious in an elevator and proceeded to drag her out of it. That day, we didn’t just hear an account of domestic violence or watch a reenactment in a Lifetime movie; we saw it in its brash, raw form.

When Beverly Gooden, the creator of the #WhyIStayed viral hashtag, appeared on Good Morning America two days later, she said, “I think what bothered me most was the question was ‘Why did she stay?’ and not ‘Why did he hit her?’…I really want to change the conversation.”