In 1982, a student from Hunter College’s School of Social Work organized a group of passionate community activists to address the lack of services available to immigrant Chinese women experiencing domestic violence in New York City. History was made when the New York Asian Women’s Center was born--an organization for Asian women by Asian women during a time when nothing of its kind existed on the East Coast. Renamed to Womankind in 2017, we have been passionately doing the work to build a gender-based violence-free world for over 4 decades.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month was created only a year before Womankind. What started as a single day to honor domestic violence survivors and advocates has blossomed into a month of remembrance, awareness, and activism to unite against gender-based violence.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, domestic violence increased as people were spending more time at home--it was called the "shadow pandemic." Anti-Asian hate crimes spiked across the country. Many people were feeling vulnerable and disempowered. Womankind began Hear Our Voices during this difficult period. We worked with survivors to gather stories, empowered community members to stand in solidarity with each other, and encouraged everyone to connect meaningfully through all the strife.
The theme for Womankind’s 6th annual "Hear Our Voices" art exhibit is "Unwritten Futures!" With the support of our advocates, survivors of gender-based violence have the power to define their own healing journey and envision a future where they feel safe and supported. We believe that by centering survivors, they can rewrite their stories and reclaim what has been taken from them. We welcome artwork created in any medium that embodies what "Unwritten Futures" means to survivors, allies, and community members like you.
We welcome you to navigate this exhibit at your own pace, and hope these stories can connect us to one another to continually create space for survivors and allies.
This page is sponsored by Womankind and all the art is contributed by survivors and community members, who own the copyrights. We hope that this page can serve as a reminder that there is always a safe space to create and liberate.
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed on this page represent the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Womankind.
Who We Are
Womankind was founded in 1982 as the New York Asian Women’s Center. We use the multidimensionality of our Asian heritage to work alongside survivors of gender-based violence as they build a path to healing. We are working tirelessly to create a future where we Rise Above Violence and our communities can innovate towards collective well-being, restoration, and social justice.
Contact Us
42 Broadway, Suite 1836
New York, NY 10004
24/7 Helpline Voice: 1.888.888.7702
Helpline Chat: iamwomankind.org
Helpline Text: 929.207.5907 (English) / 929.207.5901 (Chinese)