GSU Library to open “Never Another” Exhibit, Host Georgia Women’s Movement Spring Event
Georgia State University Library is opening the exhibit “Never Another: Georgia Responds to Violence Against Women,” an insightful collection of materials that highlight just some of the ways that violence against women impacts our communities. This exhibit, which includes documents, photographs, flyers, and artifacts, documents various kinds of women-focused violence and the ways that Atlanta has sought to address them.
Materials in the exhibit have been pulled from a number of thought-provoking collections and include the papers of Cathey Steinberg, Susan May, Diane Winters, and Nancy Boothe, as well as the records of Men Stopping Violence, the Georgia Advocates for Battered Women and Children, the Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence, and the Georgia Commission on Family Violence.
To celebrate the opening of “Never Another: Georgia Responds to Violence Against Women,” the Library is hosting a Georgia Women’s Movement Spring Event on April 24 on the 8th floor of Library South.
About the Georgia Women’s Movement Spring Event
The Georgia Women’s Movement Spring Event is held annually to highlight themes and materials in the Women’s Collections. This year’s event will highlight violence against women. Attendees will enjoy a robust conversation with Sandye Mullins, one of the first volunteers at Grady’s Rape Crisis Center, Dick Bathrick, one of the founders of Men Stopping Violence, Brigette McCoy, an army veteran and survivor of military sexual assault, and April Ross, the Executive Director of the Georgia Commission on Family Violence and partner violence survivor. Light refreshments will be served.
- When: Thursday, April 24, 2025, 5:00-6:30 pm
- Where: Georgia State University Library, Special Collections & Archives (8th Floor), 100 Decatur St. Atlanta, GA 30303
About the Panelists
Sandye Mullins
Sandra Mullins was the CEO of Care and Counseling Center of Atlanta for 10 years. CCCG has been in existence since 1957 when it began the chaplaincy program at Grady Hospital. CCCG’s mission is to “offer healing, wholeness, and hope to those in need and to educate others for that service.” CCCG is one of the largest providers of pastoral care and counseling services in the country and partners with Emory Candler School of Theology, Columbia Seminary, and Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) to train students. CCCG has partnered with Refugee Service Providers in Georgia to serve refugees through providing counseling and also training in the area of behavioral health.
Sandye served as the Executive Director of the Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta for 11 years. She has 35 years of experience working with nonprofit and church-related organizations. During her time with RRISA she travelled to refugee camps in Thailand, Ghanan, Austria, and Turkey to oversee the process for refugees to be resettled in the United States.
Sandye is ordained and serves as pastor for three congregations in her early years of ministry. She also served nine years as Assistant Conference Minister in the Southeast Conference for the United Church of Christ. During those years of service she worked with 90 congregations in five states designing and implementing programs for local clergy and churches.
For 20 years, Sandye coordinated a number of USAID-funded international nonprofit training and development programs in NGO management and in Gender-based Violence Prevention. She has also been responsible for developing long-range fundraising plans, recruiting and training volunteers and key leadership, strategic planning for various organizations, such as Girls Clubs, YWCA, Georgia State University Women’s Center, The Friendship Force, and Winrock International/NIS-US Women’s Consortium.
Dick Bathrick
As a consultant and trainer, Dick Bathrick brings analysis and practice regarding gender, race, and class to promote transformational change in individuals, organizations, and communities. Bathrick co-founded Men Stopping Violence (MSV) in 1982, and he brings more than three decades of experience in progressive social change to the work of ending violence against women.
“I’m in this for life,” he says. “Men’s violence against women will stop when men decide to stop it. And I’m encouraged to be part of a worldwide community of men who are committed to creating safe and just communities for women.”
As part of MSV’s national training team, he has co-led trainings for a variety of organizations, including the National Council of Churches, the U.S. Army and U.S. Marines, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, The National College of District Attorneys, and the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. Bathrick has also co-led international training initiatives for government officials, social workers, and women’s advocates in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Taiwan.
Bathrick is the author or co-author of a number of articles including, “Deconstructing Male Violence Against Women: The Men Stopping Violence Community Accountability Model” (2008, Violence Against Women, Sage Publications); “How Do You Know Your Batterer Program Works?” (2007, Domestic Violence Report); and “Male Privilege and Male Violence: Patriarchy’s Root and Branch” (1990, The Crossing Press). He has also co-authored several curricula, including manuals, Men at Work: Building Safe Communities and Men Stopping Violence: A Program for Change. He also authored the book, WE ARE THE WORK, The Making of Men Stopping Violence.
BriGette McCoy
BriGette McCoy is a PhD student in educational/instructional technology at Georgia State University, focusing on gerontology and technology use among aging populations. She is passionate about creating innovative educational products that empower middle-aged nontraditional students and foster authentic connections. BriGette advocates for leadership in AI and contextual language use within underrepresented communities, leveraging experiential learning to drive social change.
As a Public Interest Technology Fellow and alum of The PhD Project, WomenLead, and CREATEX, BriGette serves on the Executive Board of Protect Our Defenders, informing public policy to combat military sexual assault. A veteran of the US Army’s telecommunications sector, she has spoken at the Senate and been featured on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, NPR, and more. Her work has earned her prestigious awards, including the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Citizens Medal and the Lifetime Service Award from the Biden Administration.
April Ross
April W. Ross serves as the Executive Director of the Georgia Commission on Family Violence (GCFV). Under her leadership, GCFV collaborates with organizations, communities, and systems to establish policies and practices that promote safety for victims, accountability for abusers, and enhance access to justice and resources for all.
April holds a Juris Doctor and a Master of Business Administration, which equips her with a unique blend of legal expertise and strategic insight. Her legal background includes significant roles as an assistant district attorney in the Atlanta Judicial Circuit. She began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney at the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, where she worked on various felony cases and made significant contributions to high-profile investigations, most notably the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal.
Tragically, April’s personal and professional journey took a tragic turn on April 25, 2014, when she survived a near-fatal domestic violence assault herself, suffering life-altering paralysis and injuries from an attack by her estranged husband after she filed for a divorce. Rather than being deterred by this traumatic experience, April transformed her pain into purpose, returning to her advocacy work and getting her career back on track less than two years later. Her lived experience as a survivor further fuels her longstanding commitment to helping crime victims and seeking systemic change in Georgia’s response to domestic violence. In 2017, Governor Nathan Deal appointed April to serve on the board of the Georgia Commission on Family Violence. She was later named Executive Director of GCFV in 2019 by Governor Brian Kemp. Since being appointed to lead, April has emerged as a powerful advocate and voice in the movement for awareness, prevention, and intervention regarding domestic violence. She is a zealous advocate for survivors and a credible voice to the public. She tirelessly educates the public on recognizing signs of abuse and empowering individuals to reclaim their lives. April conducts training sessions and speaks to diverse audiences, from students to law enforcement professionals, ensuring that the conversation around domestic violence is informed, impactful, and actionable.
April has been honored with several awards and special recognitions for her service, dedication, and leadership throughout her academic and professional career. These accolades include the Bensonetta Tipton Lane Award for Commitment to the Family from the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (2024), the Pota E. Coston Trailblazer Award from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. (2020), and recognition from the YWCA of Greater Atlanta as an inductee in the 2024 Academy of Women Achievers.