The World Council of Churches (WCC) has unveiled a new design for its ongoing ‘Thursday’s in Black’ campaign.
Thursdays in Black is a campaign of solidarity and advocacy against all forms of sexual and gender-based violence. The new design aims to give new momentum to a movement that recognises the resistance and resilience of women, children, and men in the face of violence.
Members of the United Reformed Church can engage with the campaign, by wearing black on Thursdays, or by making use of a range of free resources that are available to be printed on your own campaign materials.
Francis Brienen, Deputy General Secretary (Mission), said: ‘Rape and sexual harassment are terrible offences that cause unimaginable trauma to victims and those closest to them. This movement brings the reality of it to the forefront of our minds.’
Each week, women and men from many parts of the world post expressions of their commitment to the campaign on social media under the hashtag #ThursdaysinBlack. Members of the URC can join in, using the hashtag, and share prayers, photos of themselves wearing black clothes or the Thursdays in Black badge, or explain why they are part of this movement. Don’t forget to include @urcmedia on Twitter if you do!
Campaign resources include flyers, print-ready pdf files with crop-marks to make badges, and artwork for t-shirts or cloth bags, and can be downloaded and printed here:
Thursdays in Black flyers: regular pdf or version for printing (with crop-marks)
Thursdays in Black badges with WCC logo: black and white and colour versions (print-ready pdf files with crop-marks)
Thursdays in Black badges (generic): black and white and colour versions (print-ready pdf files with crop-marks.
Artwork for t-shirt or cloth bag with WCC logo and without WCC logo (PDF for screen printing on black bag or t-shirt - see sample)
Picture: From left, Francis Brienen, Deputy General Secretary (Mission), Samantha Bircham, PA to the Revd Richard Church, Deputy General Secretary (Discipleship), and Carole Sired, Administrator (Mission, Ecumenical & Interfaith Relations).
