I was shaken one night several years ago when another woman asked if my husband beat me. When I replied that he did not, she asked, “Why not?” A smile lurked as I considered a smart alec answer. Then I realized that my sincere reply was profound and deeply rooted. Her response to me was that she believed there isn’t one good man in the world, “every single one of them is nothing but a d___ dog!” Since then I have met many women who’ve experienced the blight of domestic violence.

So yesterday, Saturday, March 23, 2013, was a landmark day here in Dallas, Texas. Thousands of men and a few of us women rallied against domestic violence. There were the expected dignitaries on the stage but also some unexpected ones including the man who came to the stage with a check for $50,000 to add to the fight. Two men, presumably brothers, wore matching t-shirts with a woman’s photo printed on them…the caption on the shirts identified her as their sister they’d lost through domestic violence. It turns out that women are not the only victims.

But what astonished me as I looked around was that I was surrounded by a sea of men . . . men of many colors, men of many faiths, men of all ages. I saw wealthy, powerful men and men scrambling just to get by. I saw men with their sons, some so young they could not have understood what the rally meant. I saw teen boys, taller than their dads, standing together. Men from my neighborhood greeting me and my husband. Men from every neighborhood of this city.

At one point, as I listened to a speaker, I was surprised to find my eyes filling with tears.

To see fine men united for good fills me with hope; it touches me deeply. I wish you’d been there to share it!