We improve systems so they work better for survivors and the community.
Devil’s club is widely used by Coast Salish peoples for medicinal, practical, ceremonial, and spiritual uses. Most traditional medicines utilize the roots and green inner bark of the branch or stalk.
The Bellingham-Whatcom County Commission on Sexual & Domestic Violence is made up of government and community leaders to fulfill our responsibility to effectively prevent and respond to sexual and domestic violence.
The Commission works with local agencies, government institutions, and community members to achieve change in systemic responses and prevention of sexual and domestic violence by providing resources, training, data, and guidance. We do not provide direct services.
The City of Bellingham and Whatcom County jointly created the Bellingham-Whatcom County Commission on Sexual & Domestic Violence in 1998.
Many survivors experience additional forms of marginalization and oppression as part of their abuse and when they seek help. We center our work on survivors who are most targeted for abuse and who face the most barriers from systems.
Like the canaries in the coal mine analogy where birds alerted coal-miners to a toxic and dangerous atmosphere, domestic violence and sexual assault are the coal mine, and survivors of color, Native survivors, LGBTQ+ survivors, immigrant survivors, and survivors with disabilities are the canaries. When you fix the mine for the canary, you make the mine safer for everyone. When you make the system work for the most marginalized and at risk, you help the system work better for everyone. (Lisalyn Jacobs, National Network to End Domestic Violence)
To learn more about racial equity efforts in Whatcom County, check out our community partner, the Whatcom Racial Equity Commission.
“Transformational ideas move forward through collective power.”