Blackburn Center

Due to concerns related to the coronavirus, Blackburn Center has made temporary changes to both work schedules and locations. Our administrative office will be closed through Friday, March 27. During this time, we will still be providing the core services the community relies on to support victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and other crimes. To help keep everyone in the community safe and healthy, we will provide these services in a way that allows for social dis...tancing for clients, our staff and our volunteers. Blackburn Center’s mission is based on the concept of safe and healthy communities. We stand with other organizations, business, and individuals in doing our part during this pandemic to protect the well-being of people in Westmoreland County and beyond. This includes following guidelines designed to help reduce the transmission of COVID-19. As always, if you need help, our hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1888-832-2272 or 724-836-1122. Our hotline is always free of charge, confidential, and can be anonymous. https://www.blackburncenter.org//Notice-Regarding-Blackbur

As Hanukkah begins today, we thought that this was a hopeful and inspiring video to share. Happy holidays to all who celebrate. Matthew Paul Miller, known by his Hebrew and stage name Matisyahu, is an American Jewish reggae singer. This most recent orchestration in Haifa asked 3,000 Muslims and Jews (none of whom had met before) to come together and learn the song One Day by Matisyahu in under an hour. Not only that, but they learned how to sing and harmonize the lyrics in three different languages. The resulting concert, which was made in collaboration with Beit HaGefen, the Haifa Municipality, and the Port of Haifa, is a breathtaking display of unity and beauty.

Even the best app or software program won’t necessarily prevent predators from reaching out to kids. That is why it is so important to talk to your children, openly and honestly, about online safety.

So many girls are groomed by lines like this. Let’s call it what it is: predatory. [Image Description: tweet from Twitter user Rachel that states, I was only 15 years old and I thought ‘being mature for my age’ was a compliment. Now I realize it was a predatory line.]

We applaud Elliot for his bravery, and hope that by living his truth, he will help to spread love and acceptance for all trans men and women.

#MEDIAMONDAY: Rape culture is a near-constant in both older and modern movies like men and boys refusing to accept no for an answer, or having the male lead make decisions about the female lead’s body, clothing, etc. What do you think about a test (like the Bechdel test) that would screen films for these tropes?

Domestic violence has been described as a crisis that is happening in the shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you need help, you can reach us at 1-888-832-2272. If you would like to support our work, visit our website at www.blackburncenter.org/donate.