The victim’s will not be forgotten.

Words of remembrance, sadness, and hope were quietly spoken at St. Thomas More University Parish last night proceeding the Silent Victim Unveiling ceremony held to keep the victims’ memory alive.

“It [the ceremony] helps the audience understand that it’s not just a statistic, it’s a real person, with a real name,” said Mary Krueger, director of the Women’s Center on campus. “It challenges the myths and makes it real.”

Lit candles surrounded the podium where former Victim’s Advocate Rebecca Theis opened the ceremony with words of appreciation to all involved in the project, a brief history of the Silent Witness Project and its intentions.

Shortly after, Krueger stepped up to the podium to express the importance of domestic violence awareness.

“Real domestic violence is the ugliness of desperation,” Krueger said.

Soon the volunteer readers began solemnly reading their monologues, some pausing to regain composure, others’ voices trembled with unexpected tears.

“Having a silhouette made will show that these were ordinary women with good futures taken by violence,” said Cheryl Boyd, mother of Shynerra Grant who was shot and killed at 17 by her boyfriend in June of 2005.

After each volunteer read, a candle on a table at the center of the stage was lit to represent each of the 33 victims and in some cases their young or unborn children also taken by domestic violence.

Among the many heartbroken family members present was Pat Rizzi, mother of the first silent witness represented four years ago, BGSU alumnus Michelle Rizzi.

“It [the ceremony] keeps Michelle’s memory alive,” Rizzi said. “If people would come and see this, they would be aware of how extensive and horrible domestic violence is … maybe her death might help create stronger laws and help other women get out of these situations.”

Following the readings, friends, family members, volunteers or those in the audience shared their thoughts, grievances or hopes for the future.

Many volunteer readers expressed the closeness they have developed for the victim they represented.

“I’ve come to think of Marilyn as a friend even though I never knew her,” said Jane Rosser, a women who has represented silent victim Marilyn Soule since the project began.

A first time reader expressed the personal impact of the ceremony.

“It was kinda like speaking for someone who is unable to tell their story of abuse … definitely a rewarding experience,” said Mikelle Smith, senior. “It has been more personal than I thought it would be and actually standing up here hearing women’s stories and all the lives lost, it’s just heartbreaking.”

Among the 335 people in attendance, making it the largest crown the project has ever had, was Jen Gutwein, a senior involved in the Student Council on Family Relations organization whose members helped with many parts of the ceremony.

“It [the ceremony] hit home because people that I had passed by today, I would have never expected them to have a daughter on the exhibit and even though I had never experienced it, it had felt personal,” Gutwein said. “We’re women in college, we’re susceptible to it, people need to be aware of that and the support groups out there show that we’re willing to give our hands and hearts to help others.”

Sadly, each year the number of women represented at the unveiling has increased.

For Boyd, losing her daughter has given her the strength to move forward and strive to increase awareness of domestic violence.

“It’s the beginning of change, it’s for the awareness … to let them [people] know that it could happen to you, that unhealthy relationships exist among ordinary people,” Boyd said.

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