Men Stopping Violence, Inc. records

Men Stopping Violence, Inc.:

A Guide to Its Records at Georgia State University Library

Georgia State University
Georgia State University Library
Special Collections and Archives
100 Decatur St., SE
Atlanta, GA 30303-3202
404-413-2880
Fax: 404-413-2881
archives@gsu.edu

June 9, 2006

Organization of the Records

Scope and Content of the Records

Correspondence, legal documents, minutes and agendas, printed materials, grant and financial documents make up the records of Men Stopping Violence (MSV). The records are organized into four series. Series I: Administrative records, 1984-2003, includes foundation records, the records of the Executive Director and the Board of Directors, as well as materials documenting the work of various Men Stopping Violence committees. Series II: Office files, 1982-2002 documents the day-to day running of the organization, and includes financial and personnel records, correspondence, development and grant writing materials, as well as forms used to conduct MSV business. Series III: Workshops and programs, 1991-2006 includes records about workshops held by Men Stopping Violence, Inc. and programs presented or attended by members of Men Stopping Violence. Series IV: Printed materials, 1986-2000, includes news clippings about Men Stopping Violence and domestic violence, and printed articles about domestic violence counseling.

History of Men Stopping Violence, Inc.

Founded in 1982, and incorporated in April 1983, Men Stopping Violence, Inc. (MSV) is a non-profit social change organization dedicated to ending men's violence against women. Its goal is to spur change at individual, institutional, and societal levels. MSV works to help men change their abusive behaviors through group sessions which concentrate on changing patriarchal values and belief systems that oppress women and children. The organization is also committed to keeping women safe, using principles developed by the nationwide network of battered women's shelters, and encourages victims to use the judicial system to seek protection for themselves and their children. In addition to classes, MSV works with community organizations, sponsors workshops, networks with battered women's advocates, trains professionals who deal with batterers, influences public policy decisions, works with employers to create safer workplaces, and advances theory in the field through writing and speaking. Manuals, news journal, training, and consultation are offered nationally, and other programs are local to Atlanta and the region.

Men Stopping Violence was the brainchild of Richard (Dick) Bathrick, a social worker and marriage counselor, and Gus Kaufman, a clinical psychologist. In the early 1980s Bathrick and Kaufman began a batterers' group in Atlanta, and were soon after hired by Kathleen Carlin, a social worker who was directing the Cobb County YWCA Women's Resource Center, to run a group for court mandated batterers. Carlin and advocate Leigh Ann Peterson supervised the work. In 1982, Carlin left the YWCA to become the founding director of Men Stopping Violence. In 1996, after a six-month battle with lung cancer, Carlin passed away. Subsequently, a planning committee, comprised of board members, staff, women's advocate consultants and the community at-large, recommended a new organizational structure to support programmatic and administrative functions. In 1998 Dick Bathrick and Ulester Douglas were appointed Co-Executive Directors; a two-woman consultancy was set up, and a new by-law was established, requiring that women constitute a majority on the Board of Directors. In 2003, Shelley Serdahely became Executive Director, allowing Douglas and Bathrick to return to programatic leadership roles.

Men Stopping Violence, Inc. has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the BOND Community Star 's 1990 Community Service Award. In 1994 MSV was awarded a $258,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Violence Against Women Project (one of 4 awarded nationwide as a result of the federal Crime Bill), to conduct a five year study to examine the ways law enforcement deals with men who batter women.

Index Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Georgia State University Library online catalog (GIL). Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Unrestricted access. All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

To quote in print, or otherwise reproduce in whole or in part in any publication, including on the Worldwide Web, any material from this collection, the researcher must obtain permission from (1) the owner of the physical property and (2) the holder of the copyright. Persons wishing to quote from this collection should consult the reference archivist to determine copyright holders for information in this collection. Reproduction of any item must contain the complete citation to the original.

Administrative Information

Citation

[item], [folder title], [series title], Men Stopping Violence, Inc. records, W066, Archives for Research on Women and Gender. Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University, Atlanta.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Richard Bathrick, Director of Programs, Men Stopping Violence, Inc., February 2006.

Processing Information

Processed by Morna Gerrard, 2006.

Related Material

Related materials in this repository: Other collections that highlight domestic violence prevention include the records of the Georgia Advocates for Battered Women and Children (W049) and the GSU Power of Women Clothesline Project collection (W057).

Separated Material

Separated material: During processing, printed material was separated to Women's Printed Collections. See List of Separated Material following Detailed Description of the Collection.