On February 14, 2013, Eve Ensler sought to bring one billion people together to protest violence against women in all its forms. But our movement is far from over, and violence in our communities continues every day.

As we continue to take a stand against violence, I encourage you to be inspired by the “Why I Am Rising” videos made by those in our community. We asked members of the USC and Columbia communities to tell us why they’re rising to end violence against women. This series of videos records their impassioned and insightful responses.

Be inspired. And know that while they’re all-stars in our eyes, they’re not so unlike you. Every one of us can stand up. Every one of us can make a difference.

We are one billion rising.

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The first video of this series features Zac Baker, a fourth-year Visual Communications student at USC. His words remind us that we are all responsible for ending violence against women in our communities.