Proclamation Declaring October 2026 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month
 

Purpose: To proclaim October 2026 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Background: At the request of the Alexandra House and the Purple Lights Initiative, the City Council will proclaim October 2026 Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The City will be lighting portions of the City Municipal Center with purple lights to help raise awareness of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. New this year, Ramsey is taking part in the Silent Witness Exhibit. The display will include up to 10 silhouettes in the lobby at city hall from October 8–14, 2026. 

Alexandra House Silent Witness Background: 
In 1990, a group of concerned women in Minnesota formed Arts Action Against Domestic Violence to address the alarming increase in women murdered by their partners or acquaintances. They created life-sized, free-standing, red wooden figures that bear the names of real women who were once part of a community, with friends, family, and children, but whose lives were tragically cut short by domestic violence.

Two years later, Alexandra House created its own Silent Witness exhibit to honor the memory of women and children who lost their lives due to domestic violence in Anoka County. This exhibit is part of a larger effort involving over 300 nationwide exhibits, united in the goal of ending domestic violence homicides.

Our Silent Witness Exhibit features 29 red silhouettes, each representing an Anoka County resident who lost their life to domestic violence. Each silhouette is inscribed with the name and personal story of the victim, serving as a poignant reminder of the destructive impact of domestic violence.

The attached proclamation will be read at this time. 

Katie Kelly, the Alexandra House Community Outreach Coordinator, will share a brief presentation about Domestic Violence Awareness Month and accept the proclamation.