The Black Eye Campaign

Published Oct. 10, 2014
By Airman 1st Class Brandon Valle
90th Missile Wing Public Affairs

F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- The 90th Medical Group Family Advocacy Program recently sponsored a Black Eye Campaign to promote domestic violence awareness. Volunteers from across base used makeup to give the appearance that they had black eyes in an attempt to create reactions from those who work with them or who saw them during the day.

"The purpose of the campaign was to be a social experiment," said Glenn Garcia, Family Advocacy Program. "We wanted to see people's reactions and see how many people would inquire about the bruise and if any would be able to recommend any of the available resources for victims of abuse."

He said the purpose of the experiment was to witness people's reactions when confronted with an issue regarding domestic violence, an issue many find uncomfortable to talk about.

Airman 1st Class April Tucay, 90th Medical Operations Squadron dental technician, participated in the campaign and worked with patients during the duty day.

"I was very concerned how few people asked about the bruising," she said. "Of the 23 patients who I saw, only 10 of them asked me what happened."

She added that, of the 13 people who did not acknowledge the bruising, five avoided talking about it when she brought up the campaign, four said they thought it was none of their business to ask, one wanted to avoid embarrassing her during work and one said they thought the situation must have been handled before he saw it.

"I felt like there was no sensitivity," Tucay said. "Many patients avoided the situation by pretending I wasn't in the room."

Carla Winkler, 90th Operations Group secretary, said she had similar outcomes in her experiment.

"I had a lot of looks, but not one person said anything," Winkler said. "It's interesting and sad to think that someone that's really been abused might get overlooked because people are afraid to ask."

Garcia said the experiment has been done on base before and is a good way to bring awareness to the base.

"We need to make sure we are a responsive community and are aware of the resources available for potential victims," he added.

The primary source on base for victim's of domestic abuse is the Family Advocacy Program. The Family Advocacy Program is responsible for assessing the safety risks for families and provides services and support for families of abuse and violence in the home.

To report an issue or to seek help, contact the Family Advocacy Program at your base.