Happy Valentine's Day. And of course today was also One Billion Rising. I hope it was at least. Hard to tell by the small crowd in Toronto at Nathan Phillips Square today. The vibe was very positive and it was a great crowd, but it was hardly the crowd I had envisioned when I first heard about the project. I think the problem is that in Canada at least there was no real mainstream media coverage of the upcoming day. Why not? Bad PR? Media just not interested? A lack of sponsors for buying media time/space? My hope is that year after year more people will hear about the movement and join in. And we need a corporate sponsor or ten, but I think more people, schools and businesses would be happy to get involved and spread this message of non-violence. If only they knew the movement was out there. It has to become more mainstream. In the months and days leading up to V-Day, I watched and listened but only heard about events through feminist channels. It's not enough.
But I don't want to be a downer. The event was great. The vibe was positive and inclusive. I just wish there were more people there. Perhaps the media will do a good job showcasing the events in the news and that will translate into more involvement next year. But we were there, and we'll be there next year.
