( ENSPIRE Community Spotlight ) New York City-Based Nonprofit Reveal Beauty Launches “Be The Voice” Campaign to Raise Awareness for Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence During COVID-19
ENSPIRE Contributor: Rosa Linda Fallon
While the COVID-19 pandemic may pose a substantial threat to our society, domestic and sexual violence was a global pandemic long before and continues to threaten the lives of women and girls around the world. Every year, millions of women worldwide are victims of physical or sexual violence, and with the recent state of the country, the number of cases has risen with no real action plan or solution. In addition, sex trafficking is the largest form of human trafficking generating billions of dollars annually in the United States alone. Reveal Beauty is a New York City-based nonprofit organization founded by Anna Doan focused on celebrating the beauty and dignity of female survivors by creating memorable self-empowerment experiences through workshops, makeover events, and more.
In light of COVID-19, Reveal Beauty launched the “Be the Voice Campaign” to bring awareness to the increase in domestic violence during the pandemic. The message behind the campaign is that “we have the power to ‘be the voice’” for those who are silenced and feel helpless. On May 19, Reveal Beauty started their #BeTheVoice campaign on social media to inform and educate their audience on how they can be voices for voiceless victims.
“Our very basis of existence and why we do what we do is because we want to love. We want to love survivors of domestic violence and sex trafficking and offer hope,” Doan said. “I think with COVID-19, it is a very special dynamic and unpredictable time, so the best way we can love is being the voice for the voiceless.”
As Valentine’s Day approached in 2006, Anna Doan and friends recognized the commercialization of love surrounding the holiday and wanted to redefine its meaning for victims of domestic and sexual violence who may not have experienced what it feels like to be truly loved with no strings attached. With her passion to serve survivors of domestic violence and sex trafficking along with her love for all things beauty and fashion, Doan created Reveal Beauty. Reveal’s mission is to empower women to own their worth and reset future generations by creating a new narrative of beauty, dignity, and celebration.
Reveal Beauty hosts a variety of volunteer-based monthly workshops and events equipping women with self-care and professional development knowledge necessary to rebuild their lives such as job interview skills, and skincare, health, and makeup skills. An example is the annual “Ultimate Makeover” event which involves an entire day of styling, pampering, and celebration for survivors to participate in.
“We really want to recreate that Cinderella-like experience, empowering survivors to make them feel so loved, so worthy and special and that they could have that memory to help them in the future,” Doan said.
The organization also partners directly with churches and women’s shelters throughout New York City and New Jersey. They have recently extended their partnership to shelters in Texas, which has been the organization’s first statewide extension. Through the “Be The Voice” campaign, the nonprofit is working with these partners to offer necessary support to victims and survivors by ensuring they have basic necessities such as face masks, hand sanitizer, soap, and other basic supplies.
Furthermore, Reveal also partners with domestic national organizations that help connect victims to appropriate resources for crisis management. These organizations include New York City Hope, the New York State Office for Prevention of Domestic Violence, and multiple domestic violence hotlines such as the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the National Sexual Assault Hotline. Doan hopes through the “Be The Voice” campaign, they can increase accessibility to these resources across all channels.
“As much as we can provide awareness, we really want to orient survivors with resources that they can access, as well as reaching individuals that might know or hear of things that could help support these survivors,” Doan said.
The efforts of Reveal Beauty has helped over 1,200 women break the cycle of domestic violence and reclaim their lives. Doan is working on expanding Reveal Beauty to the West Coast and hopefully, beyond the borders of the United States with the ultimate goal of ending domestic violence and sex trafficking for good. While practical operations are only currently on the national level, Doan hopes to one day expand Reveal’s efforts internationally.
“Our dream is to be international, but at the moment, the practical operations are only national. As we are driving this awareness, we are also engaging other partners who might want to continue to be new partners with us,” she says. Reveal Beauty is accepting donations and volunteer applications. For more information on how you can get involved, visit https://www.revealbeauty.org/.
