Bakersfield College students were given the opportunity to attend a speaker event on campus in which the topic was the awareness, and preventing, of domestic violence.

What students found out at the event, which was held in Science and Engineering building 53 on Feb. 10, was that the speaker, Stacy Crosley, is the daughter of Glenda Crosley who was convicted of killing her husband in 1986.

According to the documentary that was shown, titled “Sin by Silence,” Glenda was the first woman in California history to use the battered woman’s defense. But because of the nature of her crime, the judge denied her defense, she was convicted of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life.

The film highlighted a group called “Convicted Women Against Abuse,” a group of women incarcerated in the California Institute for Women in Chino founded by former inmate Brenda Clubine.

The film also highlighted how the CWAA organization was instrumental in getting domestic violence laws changed not only in California, but nationwide.

In the film, Clubine pointed out that none of the women are expressing innocence in their crimes. She also points out the desire for the film to be used as a teaching tool to get the word out against domestic violence. “We need to get the message out that abuse is not OK,” she said. “It’s also not OK to be silent.”

After the film was shown, Stacy spoke about her own life growing up in the abusive household.

“It was the 1970s and 80s,” Stacy said. “If no one hit anyone in front of the cops, they didn’t make any arrests. They just got things settled and left.”

Stacy continued with the various ways she tried to escape the situation at home.

“I was around 9 years old when I tried drugs for the first time,” she said at the event. “I did everything I could to get removed from the situation I was living in.”

Stacy, and her son Zephan, are now students at BC and have not only moved forward with their lives, but have also become very active in educating the public on how to prevent domestic violence, and how to get help if someone is suffering at the hands of another individual.

Glenda was up for parole this past January, but was denied by the parole board. She continues fighting on appeal to be released under California’s new domestic violence laws.

For more information on Glenda Crosley, Clubine or CWAA, please visit sinbysilence.com.