The first of two community productions of The Vagina Monologues played to a sold-out audience at Oak Park's Guild Theater on Monday evening. The second production will be performed at the Crest Theater on Saturday, April 14 at 7:00 PM. Presented by local nonprofits Northern California Association for Women Take Back the Night and V-Day Sacramento, The Vagina Monologues is a benefit production of playwright and activist Eve Ensler’s internationally-acclaimed play based on interviews with hundreds of women. Co-directors Christine Foster and Jen Driver began the evening's performance by greeting the audience with information about V-Day, a global activist movement. Driver said, "Since 1998,

Two years ago, Camellia Waldorf School’s Winter Faire was hit by something unexpected: rain. It flooded the parking lots, turned a dry creek into a creek and threatened the good spirits of the day. Participants shifted into the school for cover, while vendors put up their canopies and served hot chocolate and soup. Despite the rain, it was one of the busiest fairs that school has hosted, with reportedly 1,000 visitors. “It didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s feelings,” event co-chair Sarah Rucker said. “It’s a reflection of the norm at Waldorf School. If it were snowing, we’d still have a blast.” This year, the Winter Faire began under a cloudless sky on Saturday, December 10th, on the school

This Saturday – when the sun goes down, and the streets darken – women, men, children, survivors, activists and fighters of domestic violence will come together in Midtown to take a stand, speak out and reclaim the safety of the night. Each year 1.3 million women become victims of domestic violence, and one in every four women in the United States will experience domestic violence, according to statistics from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said Diana Rosas, the press and media contact for Sacramento Women Take Back the Night. The 32nd annual Women Take Back the Night March and Rally will be held from 6-9 p.m. The event will start with a resource fair at 5:30 p.m. at t

WHAT is it? V-Day Sacramento 2011 refers to the 2011 Sacramento community production of The Vagina Monologues that will be held in April 2011. It is a project of Northern California Association for Women Take Back the Night based in Sacramento (Sacramento WTBN). In addition to bringing the local and international plight of women and girls to the forefront, the goals of V-Day Sacramento 2011 are to raise money to benefit local anti-violence organizations and to channel awareness into action. In 2011, the proceeds from the V-Day Sacramento 2011 production of “The Vagina Monologues” will benefit WEAVE, Sacramento Women Take Back the Night, and My Sister’s House. Learn more about V-Day, V-

Amidst stormy weather on Saturday, March 26, more than 200 people gathered at the First Covenant Church in Ranch Cordova to attend the “Stop Trafficking” Symposium. The three-hour session was organized to increase public awareness of human trafficking in the Sacramento region, rated second in the country as a city with a trafficking problem, according to Congressman Dan Lungren, who made a brief appearance. Lungren recalled his days as state attorney general, when the introduction of Megan’s Law was met with resistance by prisoners’ rights advocates. He said the climate has changed with widespread acceptance of both Megan’s Law and Jessica’s Law to protect children. However, remaining de

  In partnership with local organizations working against modern-day slavery and human trafficking, The Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking Coalition will co-sponsor the second annual Sacramento March Against Slavery, hosted by Chab Dai USA, from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Aug. 28 in Cesar Chavez Park. The fundraising walk is held to spread awareness about human trafficking and modern-day slavery in the Sacramento region and around the world. Chab Dai, meaning “joining hands” in Khmer, is a coalition of Christian organizations working to end human trafficking both locally and overseas. The organization started in Cambodia in 2005 and was brought to the United States in 2008. It works t

Human trafficking in Sacramento was the subject of a conference Friday at Sacramento State. "Hidden in Plain Sight: Human Trafficking in the Central Valley" was hosted by My Sister's House, a local nonprofit organization that, according to board President Darrel Woo, helps victims of domestic violence, with a focus on the Asian/Pacific Islander community. "My Sister's House is about saving lives," said Woo, adding that victims of human trafficking and domestic violence are often one and the same. "They are interconnected," he said. "Many victims suffer in silence." Woo said that this conference, the second hosted by My Sister's House, is important because Sacramento is home to many traf

On Saturday, over 30 Democrats and friends helped build a house for a Sacramento family. When the team arrived, they found an empty lot, with only a concrete foundation and piles of lumber that would soon become the walls of a home. By the end of the day, the structure of a home had replaced the empty lot. Event organizer, James Schwab said, "We helped to build a house but we also built friendships and relationships that will help us build a better Sacramento in the future." The cold, foggy morning did not dampen the volunteers' spirits. After touring a recently completed nearby home, the team received instructions from site supervisor, Terry Hardin and set to work building a new, LEED ce