Last year, Kristina Whalen was in a relationship with her best friend.
She fell in love with his jokes and ocean-blue eyes, said Whalen, who is also Miss Gainesville. Then, his hands became dangerous.
“His hands made me feel safe, until they were used to hurt me,” the 25-year-old UF psychology senior said.
A group of more than 30 people gathered at Depot Park for a vigil to support those who died from domestic violence.
Forty-nine T-shirts designed by women and kids who use the programs at the center were hung outside. The shirts formed an art installation with inspirational quotes from those who experienced domestic abuse.
One shirt read, “NEVER LET YOUR HAPPINESS GO.” Another read, “Abuse will no longer be tolerated.”
“It provides a great opportunity to share their journey in an art form,” said Theresa Beachy, the executive director of Peaceful Paths Inc. in Alachua, Union and Bradford counties.
The event marks the start of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Beachy said. It gave survivors an opportunity to share their experiences.
“Stories are really what bind us together as a culture,” Beachy said.
Whalen thought she was in a happy relationship, she told the event attendees, but she could not bring herself to eat when she was with him, losing nearly 12 pounds.
“I thought I was invincible,” she said.
Whalen said her friends and family did not believe she was being abused.
“Everything became my fault,” she said.
But she was fortunate, because she was able to find help, Whalen said.
“My greatest accomplishment is that I am a survivor of dating violence,” she said.
Whalen invited participants to flicked on the light of electric tea candles, leaving them to glow on a table at the front of the room.
“We will not stop shining a light on the darkness of violence,” she said. “We can never stop.”
Contact Gillian Sweeney at gsweeney@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @gilliangsweeney
Forty-nine shirts lined the walkway at Depot Park on Oct. 4, 2018, during the Domestic Violence Community Vigil and Clothesline Project Exhibit. The Clothesline Project began in 1990 and was created to honor survivors of domestic violence and educate others about the reality of abuse. The shirts were decorated by women and children who survived domestic violence.
