March 7, 2014

This Friday marks the one-year anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization being signed into law. As the House sponsor of the strong, bipartisan Senate VAWA update, I can tell you that this was a victory hard-fought and one that women should be proud of. I witnessed the tireless grassroots work of our advocates, the bravery of victims coming forward to share their stories, and the fellowship of women all across our country. The battle cry was clear: strengthening protections for women, rather than rolling them back, is a non-negotiable path forward for our country.

Today, the fight to move that mission forward continues. We owe it to the faceless victims of our past and present to continue expanding our protections to all women across our country. As demonstrated by this past VAWA reauthorization – it is the unwavering policy of the United States that we do not tolerate domestic violence against any woman – regardless of who she is or where she comes from. Our work is not done until all women are protected against violence and abusers face the full penalties of the law when they are brought to justice.

As a young girl, Gwen Moore spent her time at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Milwaukee watching the boys play, recounted Denisha Tate, the clubs’ COO, at a recent gathering. The youth club, originally called the Busy Boys Life Club and open only to boys, extended membership to girls in 1984.

That was too late for Moore, but the experience likely influenced her interests as a member of Congress. Moore is a past co-chair of the Congressional Women’s Caucus and was the first African American congressman from Wisconsin when she was elected in 2004.
Today, the Boys & Girls Clubs offer programming geared specifically to girls, and the organization encourages them to participate, not observe. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of including girls, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee is sponsoring a “Year of the GIRL (Growing Inspirational and Responsible Leaders)” program.