At TIME's Impact Dinner in Chicago, survivors and advocates highlighted the importance of survivor-led change, community accountability, and practical, survivor-centered solutions. Donna Ferrato reflected on decades of documenting abuse and celebrated Elisabeth Lindberg’s recovery. Tommi and Troy Vincent described how family experience shaped their advocacy and pledged to build supports that center survivors. Ashley Judd called for upstanders who hold people accountable and challenge the culture that enables violence.
TIME Impact Dinner: Survivors and Advocates Call for Accountability, Support, and Survivor-Led Solutions
—Cindy Ord—Getty Images; Phelan M. Ebenhack—NFL/AP; Finn Gomez—Getty Images; Mark Von Holden—Lincoln Center/AP
TIME hosted an Impact Dinner in Chicago, presented by The Allstate Foundation, where four speakers shared personal stories and practical commitments to support survivors of domestic violence. The evening highlighted survivor-led advocacy, the economic harms of abuse, and the responsibility of communities to act.
Donna Ferrato: Bearing Witness Through Photography
Photojournalist and activist Donna Ferrato opened by honoring her mother as a lifelong inspiration and by pledging her allegiance to survivors of domestic abuse and sex trafficking. Ferrato reflected on more than four decades documenting abuse and challenging a culture of victim blaming through her images.
“Survivors are the ones who lead this movement,” Ferrato said, praising the courage of the women who trusted her to tell their stories.
She described one of her best-known images, "Behind Closed Doors," which documented violence involving a couple known then as “Garth” and “Lisa.” Ferrato identified Lisa as Elisabeth Lindberg and celebrated Lindberg’s recovery and activism: "She empowered herself," Ferrato said, noting Lindberg’s willingness to speak publicly to help others.
Tommi and Troy Vincent: From Personal Experience to Practical Support
Tommi Vincent—author, speaker, and president of Vincent Country—spoke candidly about surviving past abuse and her determination to normalize conversations about domestic violence without normalizing the behavior itself. Partnering with organizations such as the National Domestic Violence Hotline, Tommi said she is using her platform and resources to design survivor-centered solutions.
Troy Vincent, the NFL's Executive Vice President of Football Operations, recounted childhood memories of witnessing their mother suffer abuse. He emphasized the link between domestic violence and financial instability, describing how eviction risk prompted their mother to seek help. Troy stressed that people close to the problem are often well placed to help find solutions.
“We’re building a new house for survivors — a house where survivors are centered and their voices shape solutions,” Tommi said.
Ashley Judd: Accountability, Upstanders, and the Culture That Enables Abuse
Actor and activist Ashley Judd addressed the broader cultural dynamics that allow abuse to persist. While acknowledging that not all men are violent, she criticized the silence of those who enable or ignore violence and described a pervasive sense of "entitlement to female bodies" in many high-profile cases.
“There’s no such thing as a non-complicit bystander. If you want to support survivors, become an upstander,” Judd urged, calling for community accountability and healing.
Resources and Closing
Organizers reminded attendees that anyone affected by domestic violence can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or visit TheHotline.org. TIME Impact Dinner: Empowering Survivors — Building Strong Futures Together was presented by The Allstate Foundation.
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