Guest Blogger: Sandra Alexander

My mother was a teacher during the time when teachers made regular home visits. Growing up, I remember going with her on some of these visits, wondering about the different kinds of homes, behavior, and environments of some of my school peers.

Some kids in school bullied other kids, others showed up at school with injuries, and some did not show up at all. My mother, in her calm, steady way, would explain to me that families had different kinds of struggles and that kids’ behaviors reflected the kind of environments, relationships, and challenges they have in their life.

Guest Blogger: Helen Singer, MPH

This spring, after several of my close friends and family reached out to share the news that Mike Wallace, the legendary investigative journalist and “60 Minutes” anchor, had died, I sat down and had a good cry. It was as if I had lost a favorite uncle.

I know that it probably sounds strange that I was so personally affected by the passing of a famous newsman whose life was seemingly very different and removed from mine, but the fact is that Mike Wallace played a significant role in my decision to do what I do at CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention (DVP).

Last December, I was having a conversation with a friend about how many people are actually affected by intimate partner violence (IPV).  When I said that 1 out of 4 women had experienced some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime, my friend responded, “But, I don’t know anyone who has been abused.”  My response: “You just don’t think you know anyone. It is hidden so often, and we often don’t think that intimate partner violence affects our friends and families.”