The screening also included a discussion on refugees and immigration with Christina Castellani from Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants.

“This is a difficult conversation, but a conversation we are having not only in Africa, but in the United States and I think it’s about the way we behave with one another, the way we respect our bodies, and respect the bodies of others, and it is about understanding that women through education, like men, through education, gain purpose and power,” said NVCC President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D. in her opening remarks.

“Each February we will celebrate V-Day to create an awareness in our community and to help end violence against women and girls. This year we chose to bring in a speaker and highlight the documentary ‘City of Joy’. While the stories in the documentary are tragic, the documentary ‘City of Joy,’ like ‘The Vagina Monologues,’ is told in an uplifting manner. The purpose of the documentary is to show what happens when women who are sexual assault survivors live together in community, heal each other, and create new lives on their own terms. The documentary is about turning pain into power, which I have learned our students need to see and learn more about. Events like these help those in our community understand they are not alone,” said Rose-Mary Rodrigues, Director of NVCC’s Women’s Center.

The Women’s Center is a safe place for all women to gather, explore, and share their experiences and facilitates education on issues related to feminism, gender, and domestic and sexual violence. For more information, visit nv.edu/women.