TURNERS FALLS — As the lights of the Turners Falls-Gill Bridge flickered on at sundown on Thursday night, so did the lights of purple candles held by people crossing the bridge to illuminate the lives and stories of domestic violence survivors.
In its second year, The Heartwing Center hosted “Light the Bridge,” with the roughly 30 attendees first gathering at Avenue A and Second Street before making their way down to the bridge and back. Some shared reflections about domestic violence and its impact, and a banner was set up where attendees could share stories, thoughts or words of affirmation if they didn’t want to speak in front of the group.
Heather Wood, executive director of The Heartwing Center, said Thursday’s event was themed “Words Without Sound,” reminding those that support for survivors of domestic violence doesn’t always start with someone verbalizing what they experienced.
“Sometimes it begins with presence. With light. With someone simply choosing to see another person,” Wood said, later adding that, “Every stranger is living a story we cannot fully see. And we can choose to let their story matter to us anyway.”
According to the Massachusetts Probation Service’s Victim Services Unit website, Congress designated October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in 1989 after its observance evolved from a 1981 “Day of Unity” by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
In Montague, the Selectboard voted unanimously to accept a proclamation brought forward by The Heartwing Center with support from the Montague Board of Health to declare October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in town.
Alongside The Heartwing Center, there were other organizations dedicated to domestic violence prevention or community resources present, including The Brick House Community Resource Center.
Brick House Executive Director Thomas Taaffe spoke about how his organization was opened in 1990 to be a place for community resources, a year after the murder of four Turners Falls women at the hands of their domestic partners in 1989. The Heartwing Center, formerly Montague Catholic Social Ministries, was also founded in response to this community violence, offering support to domestic violence survivors and families in need.
Taaffe spoke about the progress that’s been made in domestic violence awareness, but he highlighted his concern about toxic masculinity and social media’s impact on young men and boys today.
“We need to take leadership on this,” Taaffe said.
Attending the event Thursday was Erving resident Allison Boswell and her young son, Carter. Boswell explained that when she was a young adult and pregnant with Carter, she got out of a domestic violence situation, and Wood “saved” her, giving her a place to live and being supportive of her.
As a survivor, Boswell said seeing people coming out on Thursday to raise awareness around domestic violence and to support survivors “feels nice,” especially since there wasn’t this type of event supporting survivors like her and her son even eight years ago, when Carter was a baby.
“It’s so wonderful to see, and it honestly feels really good to be here,” Boswell said, “and I really appreciate stuff like this, honestly.”
As a mother raising a young boy, Boswell said something she’s tried to instill in him after what they went through together is to remember to always treat people how he would like to be treated. From their time in therapy, Boswell said they’ve both been able to process what happened and move forward.
Amy Lavallee was also at Thursday’s event, not in her capacity as a candidate for the 1st Franklin District in the House of Representatives, but as a survivor of domestic violence herself. She shared that she got “very emotional” during the open mic portion of the event.
“What happened to me happened a long time ago, but it always stays with you,” Lavallee said, “and to see the amount of people that are here to support people that went through it, or even people that are maybe going through it to help them get to the other side … I don’t even have words.”
‘I am Jane Doe’
In recent weeks, the news of a lawsuit filed by a woman alleging she was gang raped at a Cornell University fraternity house in 2024 has gained international attention, prompting intense scrutiny on Cornell leadership and law enforcement over how her allegations were investigated. Her lawsuit only identifies her as “Jane Doe.”
In response, the use of the phrase “I am Jane Doe” is being used to show solidarity with the woman at the center of the lawsuit. In Ithaca, New York, where Cornell is located, an “I Am Jane Doe” rally was held in mid-October. Online, the hashtag “IAmJaneDoe” has been used for people to speak out about their own experiences.
In light of this situation, attendees with The Heartwing Center wore black sweatshirts with “I am Jane Doe” printed on them. These sweatshirts were made by Susan Rivera, daughter of Frances Rivera.
Frances Rivera said the idea for the sweatshirts came up as “Light the Bridge” was being planned by leadership at The Heartwing Center, who agreed that domestic violence and sexual assault can impact anyone.
“We want to make sure that people are aware that we, as an agency, support them, that we support this, that we feel like every woman and every man and every child should be treated like a human being,” Rivera said.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached by calling 1-800-799-7233, texting “START” to 88788 or visiting thehotline.org.
