Women’s Equality Day, August 26th, marks the anniversary of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote.  While this was a huge step forward in women’s rights, the 19th amendment did not give these freedoms to all women. Women of color were still unable to vote. To say that all women had the right to vote at this point would be erasing the experience of women of color in this country.  But as we evolved, learning and growth happened.  The 19th amendment was still a big step forward for women’s empowerment, and it lead to the feminist movements of the 1960’s from Center for ..read more

This July, longtime supporter, advocate, volunteer and philanthropist, Jessica Pride was inducted as CCS Board President.  CCS’ long time partnership with Jessica Pride empowers survivors of sexual assault and acts as a catalyst for social justice. Learn more about our incoming Board President! Career  Jessica Pride is a partner at The Pride Law Firm. She has dedicated her entire legal career to the representation of victims of sexual assault, catastrophic injuries and wrongful death. She has garnered numerous successes. Ms. Pride has settled several high-profile confidential se ..read more

Title IX, 46 Years of Advocacy For over 45 years Title IX has protected students in this country from violence and inequality.  The legislation, and those who work tirelessly to make sure it is followed correctly, help to insure that students are safe and not discriminated against.  This Saturday marks the anniversary of the law being put into effect. But Title IX is just for sports, right? Wrong! This law and everything it works to protect is still a mystery to many people.  While its protections do apply to sports, it is so much more than that. Let’s start with the basics ..read more

Today is an especially important day to celebrate the Domestic Violence Healthcare Partnership (DVHCP) between Center for Community Solutions (CCS) and Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest (PPPSW), who have worked so passionately together to serve our clients and patients. In 2014, a formalized partnership was developed, addressing how intimate partner violence (IPV) impacts an individual’s health, striving to strengthen each agency’s capacity to serve those affected by this particular kind of violence. As a result, CCS and PPPSW developed a culturally humble partnership in which CCS s ..read more

CCS has a full-time, Sexual Assault Victim Advocate on campus at SDSU who provides no-cost advocacy services to students, faculty, and staff at SDSU who have experienced sexual assault, relationship violence or stalking. To learn how CCS can help the SDSU community, and to receive services, please contact our on campus advocate: Lauren Murcko Sexual Assault Victim Advocate lmurcko@ccssd.org SDSU Calpulli Center 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego, CA 92182-4701 619-594- 0210   Check out our blog, Know Your Rights: Title IX in San Diego to learn more about campus resources and contact inf ..read more

What is Title IX? “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal educational assistance…” – TITLE IX, EDUCATION AMENDMENTS OF 1972 Meaning, if you are enrolled at any school (high schools included!) that receives federal funding, you have the federally-protected right to attend school and school-sanctioned events (including sports) without being sexually harassed or discriminated against on the basis of your sex. Sexual hara ..read more

At Center for Community Solutions our mission is to end relationship and sexual violence by being a catalyst for caring communities and social justice. We carry out our mission through programs and services that strive to honor the dignity and equal worth of all human beings. We understand that in order to foster social justice and create communities, organizations, and societies that embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion, we must start by understanding the systems we seek to change through an examination of our cultural humility. At the heart of cultural humility is being aware of our bias ..read more

Dear CCS supporters, Many of us were disturbed, saddened, and still pained by the violent events in Virginia 1 ½ weeks ago.  As a supporter of CCS, I am reaching out to you to acknowledge that the violent, racist rhetoric that has followed are in direct contrast to our mission at CCS “ to be…a catalyst for caring communities and social justice.”  These events have all of us questioning who we are as a nation and a community.  This violence can and must be stopped. The hatred, racism, and all elements of oppression are underpinnings of the trauma we see at CCS, and we know ..read more

I’ve worked at nonprofits my entire adult life and most have only given lip service to the mandate for self-care, without creating a system that supports doing it. Navigating this work and the world as someone with intersecting marginalized identities can make it even more challenging, as you deal with constant micro-aggressions day in and day out. Those small acts of violence are so subtle you could almost miss them, but they accumulate and wear people down. I’ve talked with other marginalized folks about how hard it is to give each other the support we desire when some days we can barely kee ..read more

Our vision at CCS is for all people to live full, free, expressive and empowered lives in a safe, vibrant, healthy and peaceful community. In honor Women’s Equality Day on August 26th, we recognize some of the ground-breaking, incredible women who embody this vision.       Briget “Biddy” Mason 1818-1891 After being granted freedom from slavery by a California court, Mason became economically independent by working as a nurse.  Mason provided food and shelter for the impoverished and was among the first African American women to own land.  Mason was fluent in Span ..read more