Lake County Rising event focuses on domestic violence

Lake County Rising founder Judy Armstrong of Round Lake Beach and award-winning essayist Amy Ramos Landero, a Zion-Benton Township High School sophomore, are among those contributing to the cause of ending domestic violence.

“Enough is enough,” Armstrong said. “We must stand up and break the chain for all of us, for the children.”

Landero did not limit her cry for help to women, and she wants to send it far beyond Lake County. She said in her essay, that violence against everyone must cease and they all need the help of a community.

“Not only women need this type of help in this kind of situation, also the Black community, what have we done to help? Exactly nothing,” Landero wrote. “If we want to have a better country we need to help those that seek our help in silence.”

Armstrong and Landero were among the participants in the annual Lake County Rising event Tuesday at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, raising awareness of domestic violence and asking the community to “rise” against it.

Sandra Bankston, the co-chair of this year’s event and the chief of gun violence victim services in the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, said the purpose of the event is to raise awareness of violence against women and more.

“It’s about sexual assault, and all violence against women,” Bankston said. “It’s about violence against siblings. We have to listen to the victims, hear their stories and help them.”

In 2013, Armstrong was listening to a broadcast by Eve Ensler, the author of “The Vagina Monologues” who started a worldwide movement called “One Billion Rising.” The goal was to get a billion women around the globe to stand up against sexual violence simultaneously.

“It’s a billion because one in three women will be raped in their lifetime,” Armstrong said. “I went to click on the website, and there was no event in Lake County. I had to get involved.”

Calling Bruce Johnson, the CEO at Nicasa, Armstrong said she found an immediate partner. He helped get others involved and the event took shape as it has since. During the coronavirus pandemic, it was held virtually.

Involving young people is part of the goal. Each year there is a contest to select a winning poem and essay from an area teen. Landero was the winning essayist, and Zion-Benton High School freshman Nivea Bishop had the winning poem.

“Together, united we’ll shed the light,” Bishop wrote. “Breaking the cycle, wrongs make right. For violence against women must cease. A world of harmony, a lasting peace.”