The Acoustic Coffeehouse was filled with more than live music and drunken conversation on Tuesday night.
Speaking for Social Change, a course taught by Dr. Amber Kinser held The REAL Forum: Reason Effort Action Livelihood, in the second half of the bar at the Acoustic known as The Next Door.
Twenty-two individuals listened intently to four women up on stage who shared their stories, speeches, and personal experiences.
The women who led the forum were Lori Ann Manis, Stephanie Langley-earhart, Angelica Shultz, and Elizabeth Consentino-Ponderahe.
All of these people congregated together to openly discuss domestic abuse. According to the Web site www.DomesticViolence.Org, domestic violence and emotional abuse are: “behaviors used by one person in a relationship to control the other.” This unspoken abuse is often overlooked, and these women said they were speaking out against abuse.
REAL was created for a project in Dr. Kinser’s class but it turned out meaning much more for the individuals who attended.
“For class we had to do a speech somewhere in the community for Speaking for Social Change, It began as that but it certainly became much more,” said Women’s Studies major Lori Ann Manis.
Angelica Shultz said, “Tonight’s purpose was to give new perspectives to domestic violence prevention, we are very serious about this subject so every piece that was chosen to be discussed tonight was done purposefully to be able to create reflection.
“This needed to be applicable to everyone, it needed to not be candid and that’s what made this night so successful, hopefully we will have an additional forum in the spring.”
After the speeches and presentations the forum was opened for comments and conversation.
“My wife, Stephanie Langley-earhart, is a Women’s Studies student,” said Pawell Langely-earhart. “Things like this are as important to me as they are to her, she is just more vocal about them. My mom graduated from UT with a home economics degree, so she taught women how to be housewives, she raised me and now lives on a farm and runs it herself without any prior knowledge. I respect every person as an equal, no matter male or female.

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