Do you have any idea how much we at Unchained At Last accomplished in 2018 to combat forced and child marriage in the U.S., thanks to your support?
- We achieved two historic victories: We helped pass legislation in Delaware and New Jersey to end child marriage. Only 48 more to go.
- We kept our promise and – gulp – each of us got a tattoo to commemorate those historic victories.
- We provided crucial, often life-saving services to 195 women, girls, LGBTQ individuals and others to help them escape forced marriages. Our total number of clients served passed the 500 mark.
- We Chained-In four times in two U.S. states to protest child marriage in bridal gowns and chains, including our first-ever Chain-In Flash Mob. We also fought passionately again child marriage through one-on-one meetings with legislators and governors, email campaigns and oral and written testimony at legislative hearings across the U.S.
- We raised serious awareness of forced and child marriage in the U.S. through countless television, radio and print outlets that garnered millions of views, including NowThis, CNN’s Great Big Story, Conde Nast’s Iris, CBSN, BBC Radio, NPR, New York Times, BuzzFeed, The Guardian and many, many more. We also published op-ed articles in The Hill and the Star-Ledger.
- We made more noise through major presentations including a TEDx Talk and a United Nations parallel event to the 62nd Commission on the Status of Women. We came THIS close to getting on stage at the Global Citizen Festival in New York City’s Central Park (but were deterred by popping sounds that someone mistook for gunshots).
- We weren’t ashamed to name drop. We hosted Chelsea Clinton for dinner, brought 250 people to watch Trevor Noah perform, appeared in another Nicholas Kristof column in the New York Times and celebrated with celebrity stylist Ilaria Urbinati as she launched a line of leather jackets to benefit our work.
Don’t expect us to slouch off in 2019. We expect at least 15 states to introduce the legislation we insist all states pass, to end all child marriage, without exceptions. And we will be in as many of those states to Chain-In, talk to legislators, testify at hearings, write op-ed articles, give media interviews, present at conferences and refuse to go away until the U.S. ends child marriage.
At the same time, we will continue to provide crucial services to the brave women, girls and others in the U.S. who are escaping forced marriages.
We can do all this if you continue to support us by donating time and/or money, sharing and liking our social media posts, and joining our Chain-Ins and other events.