It is often difficult to begin imagining a world in which a person can inflict danger or harm onto their loved ones. This is especially difficult if one has not experienced it for themselves first hand. Even people who have seen or heard of violence within relationships struggle to see how it could ever be possible. However, we live in a world where we must recognize and acknowledge the dangers of relationship violence as a way of combating the issue more directly. The One Love Foundation is one way in which communities are coming together as a way to fight back against relationship violence.
One Love was created after the passing away of Yeardley Love, a young woman attending the University of Virginia and a sister of the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority who was tragically beaten to death by her ex-boyfriend three weeks prior to her graduation. Yeardley Love’s mother and sister created the One Love foundation as a way to honor Yeardley and ensure that her story did not end in tragedy, but so that her legacy could continue by way of educating the public.
According to the One Love Foundation website, college women are at a “three times greater risk of being in an abusive relationship than any other demographic”. The founders of One Love are continuously working towards “… educating young people, and communities about the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationship behaviors; empowering people to trust their gut and act when they feel that something is off.” It is in this way that One Love hopes to be able to prevent that tragedy of Love’s death from ever happening again.
Join Her Campus and the One Love team on Thursday, September 28 at 6:30 in Bosler 314 for a workshop on differentiating between healthy and unhealthy relationships, as well as information on how to keep our healthy relationships strong.
You can learn more about the One Love Foundation here.