Kerry Washington Style 2014; 'Scandal' Actress Designs 'Purple Purse' for Financial Factor of Domestic Abuse, As Ray Rice Investigation Continues [VIDEO]
Besides being a super amazing actress, Kerry Washington proved this week that she is also a super amazing person. Before the video of Ray Rice’s elevator altercation with now wife Janay Palmer broke last week, Washington had already decided to be the spokesperson for “The Purple Purse” initiative, created by The All State Foundation.
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With Scandal premiering in only one week, she could have backed away because the amounts of negative press surrounding domestic violence, but she did not-- And, that my friends, takes some serious Olivia-Pope type courage.
Before carrying a chic purple purse to the launch event in New York City—looking mighty fabulous in a green, textured Alexander Mcqueen dress—Washington appeared in a PSA to make the masses aware of a little known obstacle women face when trying to leave abusive relationships.
"One in four women will be a victim of domestic violence,” Washington stated in the 30-second video. “Finances are almost always a weapon of choice." While the physical abuse is hard enough for survivors of domestic abuse to handle, having enough funds to leave the situation also presents a major problem that most are not aware of.
Though there are various shelters and hotlines for victims to reach out to, they can only do so much. Washington and All State’s new initiative is so important because it is going to get more people talking because celebrities have been given the purse to carry at major events. “The purse is such a really great idea because it’s difficult to talk about a black eye, it’s difficult to talk about credit that’s been destroyed, but women love to talk about fashion,” she said in an interview with Essence.
The 500 Kerry Washington-designed bags will not only be given to her famous peers, but also to charities to auction off to raise their own funds. To donate and find out more about the cause, visit PurplePurse.com.
Watch the powerful PSA, below: