Brenda Clubine, a domestic violence survivor and speaker, and the subject of the documentary “Sin by Silence,” will share her story and describe her work to bring legislative attention to the plight of battered women.

Clubine’s free, public lecture, “The Power of Incarcerated Survivors,” will be held at noon, Tuesday, Oct. 9 in The University of Toledo College of Law’s newly renovated Richard and Jane McQuade Law Auditorium.

Brenda Clubine endured bruises, broken bones and skull fractures at the hands of her husband. By the time she was convicted of second-degree murder, for killing him in 1983, she felt worthless and alone. But, behind bars, Clubine soon discovered that she shared the experience of love turned violent with many of her fellow inmates.

After years of meeting in the yard of the California Institution for Women to share whispered stories, Clubine and other inmates formed Convicted Women Against Abuse (CWAA) in 1989. The inmate-led support group, the first of its kind in the U.S. prison system, helped women inside prison break the silence about abuse and advocate for legislation to protect battered women. The work of Clubine and CWAA was the subject of the 2008 documentary, “Sin by Silence.”

In 2008, Clubine was released from prison after serving 26 years for killing her husband in response to his abuse. Today, she continues the advocacy she began while behind bars.

“Clubine’s life is a powerful example of survival and activism,” said Diane Docis, the coordinator of UT’s Sexual Assault Education and Prevention Program. “Her groundbreaking work on the legislative front has brought new hope for justice to incarcerated battered women.”

Clubine’s lecture is co-sponsored by the University’s College of Law, Sexual Assault Education and Prevention Program, Social Work Program, Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women, and Department of Women’s and Gender Studies.

More information on Clubine and the film “Sin by Silence” is available at brendaclubine.com and legislation.sinbysilence.com. Click here to download a photo of Clubine.

For more information contact Rachel Phipps, assistant to the dean for communications in the UT College of Law, at 419.530.2628 or rachel.phipps@utoledo.edu.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Oct. 8, 2012)

Tags: College of Law