Dr. Scott Gratson’s Communications Studies 1111 class painted their ring finger-nail purple in support of the Put The Nail in It campaign Thursday.
The Put The Nail in It campaign was started by Safe Horizon, the largest provider of support services and safe havens for domestic abuse victims in the United States. Put The Nail in It was started to bring more awareness to the issue of domestic violence, and is a means of helping promote conversation among people. By #PutTheNailinIt, you can connect with others online in supporting the cause.
What happened today in Gratson’s class was inspired by the time he met Tamron Hall, the Today Show co-host and a Temple alumni.
Over the summer, Gratson was asked to show Hall and her family around Temple’s campus, thrilled to have the opportunity. Weeks later he saw a photo of Hall in an online newspaper and noticed that she only had one finger-nail painted purple. In further investigation, he discovered why.
“When I thought about my students’ and Tamron’s experiences, I thought that it was only right to show her our support. Here was this wonderful woman doing her part to create viable change and social justice. Those same ideals are important to me as I direct the Communication Studies Program. In this program we have been hard at work advancing the rights and recognition for those who may feel that they have no voice. We study communication, the very thing that can and should be a foundation of awareness and change,” Gratson said.
Hall is one of the celebrity supporters of Put The Nail in It. In opening up to People magazine, she revealed the details of how she lost her sister Renate. In 2005, after suffering years of abuse from her husband, Renate was found face-down, floating in her backyard pool. The most important realization Hall took from this tragedy was that she could make a difference and she has done so by partnering with Safe Horizon and Day One, using her platform to promote the message of her story and to put an end to domestic abuse.
According to Safe Horizon, one in every four women will become victims of domestic abuse, while one in every seven men will be victims as well.
There was an incredible amount of support from Gratson’s class today, with multiple nail-painting stations opened to accommodate the class of virtually 200 students.
“I’ve witness domestic abuse, violence my whole life between people, and it’s really messed up. I’d paint all of my nails purple if I could,” Dana Takacs, a junior, told us in response to the event.
Although this only happened today in Gratson’s class, this is a nationwide campaign. If you see someone with a purple nail, ask them about it! Better yet, get your class involved too.
Safe Horizon accepts donations for the Put The Nail in It campaign and Hall has her own fundraiser through the campaign called The Tamron Renate Fund.
Through donating, sharing this story or even showing your support with #PutTheNailinIt, we can all help to put an end to domestic abuse.
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