(Name-mce) ListServ Annual Day of Silence 4-18-07

[Anselmo Villanueva]

DAY of SILENCE(r) 2007

The 2007 Day of Silence will be WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2007.

Information: http://www.dayofsilence.org/

Founded in 1996, the Day of Silence(r) has become the largest single
student-led action towards creating safer schools for all, regardless
of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. From the
first-ever Day of Silence(r) at the University of Virginia in 1996, to
the organizing efforts in over 1,900 middle schools, high schools,
colleges and universities across the country in 2002, its textured
history reflects its diversity in both numbers and reach. Here's a
brief history.

1996 - The Day of Silence(r) is born. Students organized the first Day
of Silence(r), its original name, at the University of Virginia. With
over 150 students participating, those involved felt it was a great
success. The Day of Silence(r) received extensive local press coverage
and a positive response from the UVA community members, motivating
Maria Pulzetti to take the Day of Silence(r) nationally.

1997 - From one, to one hundred, National Day of Silence(r) takes off
With a web page and much dedication, Pulzetti and then 19-year-old
Jessie Gilliam, developed the project to be used in schools across the
country. It was renamed the National Day of Silence(r), and that year
nearly 100 colleges and universities participated. Some schools in
Australia heard about the project and modeled a similar day for
Australian schools.

1998 - The Day keeps growing, the Project begins Pulzetti and Gilliam
realized they could not expand the National Day of Silence(r) alone,
so they organized a team of regional coordinators who could assist
schools better by working with and understanding local networks.
Expanding from a one-day vow of silence to include additional actions
and educational events, the Day of Silence(r) was officially
inaugurated. That year, for the first time in a recognized number,
students in high schools joined the organizing efforts, helping double
the number of participating schools to over 200.

1999-2001 - More people, more time, a message of unity sets in Through
the sponsorship of Advocates for Youth, Gilliam worked part-time over
the summer of 1999 to maintain and expand the Day of Silence(r). A
first in the project's history, a team of volunteers met for a weekend
in Boston to discuss strategy and develop future plans towards
assisting schools. The Day of Silence(r) continued to support high
schools, colleges and universities around the country with volunteers
led by then 18-year-old Chloe Palenchar, as the National Project
Coordinator. Over 300 high schools participated that year.

2001 - Day of Silence(r); still growing, still strong Chris Tuttle,
GLSEN's National Student Organizer, Gilliam and Palenchar developed a
proposal to provide the Day of Silence(r) with new funding, staff,
volunteers and an official organizational sponsor, GLSEN. To ensure
its success, GLSEN developed a first-ever Leadership Team of high
school students to support local high school organizers around the
country and a partnership with the United States Student Association,
to ensure colleges and universities receive equal support.

2002 - Making noise, making history In what has become the largest
single student-led action towards creating safer schools, the April
10th Day of Silence(r) was organized by students in more than 1,900
schools across the country, with estimated participation of more than
100,000 students. Representative Eliot Engel introduces the first ever
resolution on the Day of Silence(r) in Congress, which received
support of 29 co-signers; additionally, Governor Gray Davis of
California issued an official proclamation making April 10, 2002 the
National Day of Silence(r). Local Day of Silence(r) organizing efforts
appear in over fifty media stories across the country, including USA
Today, MSNBC, CNN, Voice of America and a live broadcast on NPR.
Breaking the Silence rallies are organized with tremendous success in
Albany, NY, Kalamazoo, MI, Missoula, MT, Ft. Lauderdale & Sarasota,
FL, Eugene, OR, Boulder, CO and Washington DC, among other places.

Today - The possibilities are endless Just imagine: tens of thousands
of students, from San Francisco, California to Irmo, South Carolina,
united in a visible silence to create real change in local schools.
Whether used to educate classmates on the damaging effects of
anti-LGBT bullying and harassment or to demand passage of a statewide
nondiscriminatory act inclusive of LGBT people, the Day of Silence(r)
is an awesome opportunity to create more inclusive school environments
and make some noise.

What are you going to do to end the silence?