On Feb. 14, hundreds of people, including dozens of Santa Fe University of Art & Design students and faculty, gathered to take part in the One Billion Rising demonstration at the Santa Fe Place Mall as part of the V-Day activist movement that seeks to raise the public conscience to ending violence against women and girls....

Protesters gather at Santa Fe’s Hobby Lobby to denounce its policy on reproductive healthcare for women.

On Feb. 14, students and faculty took part in the  One Billion Rising demonstration in the capital, as part of the V-Day activist movement that seeks to raise the public conscience to ending violence against women and girls. Corine Frankland has taught multiple classes at SFUAD leading up to One Billion Rising. This past November, it was decided how the school would support the initiative and what that might look like for SFUAD. For V-Day, students designed t-shirts and pins for the event at the roundhouse, arriving hours ahead of time for set up. “SFUAD students really took the initiative in terms of being the volunteers,” Frankland says. With a group of about 22 students helping with everything from tying arm bands to setting up the stage, everyone in attendance was ready for the public testimonials that began at 10:30 a.m. inside the rotunda. Student Sherylyn Jeffries was the first to speak. “I was surprised by that standing ovation… I wound up looking at all of these women who were total strangers. And they got it. And then when I got through, the whole rotunda stood up,” Jeffries recalls. Jeffries gives credit to both Frankland’s class and Dana Levin’s poetry class for the creation of what she shared. With both teacher’s support and guidance, and Jeffries’ bravery, the opening of the testimonials was a powerful moment, with everyone from fellow students to the police officers present left crying and touched. “That’s what V Day is about, is making sure that these stories are heard,” student Amy West says of her favorite portion of the day. As the morning went on, women and men continued to tell their stories to the audience that had gathered. The rest of the day consisted of a rally outside...