Change doesn’t happen through awareness alone. It happens when people speak up, challenge harmful systems, share their stories, and make space for others to be heard.
This month, we’re highlighting four changemakers whose work reminds us that there are many ways to make a difference. While some focus specifically on domestic violence and others address sexual violence and survivors’ rights, all four show how raising awareness can open the door to meaningful change.
Gloria Steinem: Bringing Domestic Violence Into Public Conversation
Writer and feminist activist Gloria Steinem helped challenge the idea that domestic violence was a private matter. In 1976, Ms. magazine featured domestic violence on its cover, bringing national attention to an issue too often ignored.
What we can learn: Speak up when abuse is dismissed or treated as a private matter.
Learn more: The historic 1976 Ms. magazine cover.
Chanel Miller: Reclaiming Her Story
In her memoir, Know My Name, writer and artist Chanel Miller shares her experience of sexual violence in her own words. By reclaiming her story, she challenges stigma and reminds us that survivors deserve to be heard as whole people, not defined by what happened to them.
What we can learn: Listen without judgment and respect every survivor’s right to tell their story on their own terms.
Learn more: Chanel Miller’s website.
Amanda Nguyen: Turning Advocacy Into Action
After experiencing the challenges survivors face in the legal system, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen founded Rise and helped advance the federal Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act, signed into law in 2016. Her work shows how personal experiences can inspire advocacy and stronger protections for others.
What we can learn: Support efforts to strengthen survivors’ rights and make systems more responsive to their needs.
Learn more: Rise and Amanda Nguyen’s advocacy.
Evan Rachel Wood: Advocating for Change
Actor and advocate Evan Rachel Wood has spoken publicly about surviving domestic violence and helped lead the creation of California’s Phoenix Act. The law expanded the time survivors have to pursue certain domestic violence cases, recognizing that coming forward can take time.
Her advocacy shows how survivors’ experiences can help identify gaps in existing systems and inspire change that supports others.
What we can learn: Advocate for policies that protect survivors, and respect that every survivor’s path forward is different.
Learn more: The Phoenix Act.
Awareness Is a Starting Point
Each of these changemakers has helped move important conversations forward in a different way. Their work shows that progress can come through storytelling, advocacy, and the ongoing effort to make support more accessible.
And you don’t have to do everything to make a difference. You can start by listening to someone without judgment, sharing a helpful resource, challenging a harmful assumption, supporting an organization working alongside survivors, or advocating for policies that protect their rights.
Standing with survivors, always, means turning awareness into action. It means believing survivors, respecting their choices, and helping create communities where they can seek support without shame or pressure.
At RESPOND, we believe every survivor deserves safety, support, and the freedom to make decisions about their own life. We invite you to choose one action you can take. Whether it’s a conversation, a commitment to keep learning, or a gift that helps sustain survivor support, your effort matters.
Together, we can help build a future where every survivor is heard, supported, and treated with dignity. With Survivors, Always.
