Governors State University Social Work, faculty member, Lori Crowder, PhD, was invited to attend the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) at the White House! Dr. Crowder is pictured above standing with other advocates from around the country and President Biden in the East Room (She is on the left, end of second row from the bottom). 
This year, we celebrate the
30th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act. Since 1994, this Act has
funded services and support for countless survivors of sexual and domestic
violence, dating violence, and stalking.
In 1994, Dr. Crowder
started her career working the night shift in a domestic violence shelter in
Texas, and her colleagues here and across the country, like her, have
personally witnessed the tremendous impact that VAWA has made for survivors
over the past 30 years.
Dr. Crowder was honored to
be invited to the White House by President Biden to stand
alongside him on September 12th as he reflected on the impact of three decades
of legislation that he co-sponsored when he was a senator. He personally thanked
them for their work and called VAWA the proudest legislative achievement of his
career.
While there is still much
more work to be done, it is especially important to support community-led
solutions. It was a pleasure and honor, Dr. Crowder shared, to celebrate the
progress we've made to promote safety and accountability in Illinois and across
the country.