Kerry Washington: Ending Violence Against Women Is No Easy Task, but We’ll Get There

Kerry Washington at the White House’s United State of Women Summit on Tuesday. (Photo: AKM-GSI)

Bringing an end to violence against women is no easy task, but Kerry Washington is up to the challenge.

For the third year, the Scandal star — who is pregnant with her second child — is serving as ambassador for the Allstate Foundation Purple Purse campaign, which uses financial empowerment to break the cycle of domestic abuse. The 39-year-old actress spoke to Yahoo Celebrity about the cause, which is close to her heart, and how it brought her to Olivia Pope’s stomping grounds — Washington, D.C. — on Tuesday, where she spoke at the White House’s United State of Women Summit.

“It’s such a rewarding partnership for me,” explained Washington, who has said that she knows more than one person who was a victim of domestic violence. “It takes two things that I’m very passionate [about] — one is women’s empowerment and ending violence against women, and [the other is] fashion — and by some miracle I get to work in these two spaces that are so fulfilling and important to me.”

The campaign focuses on educating women about “financial abuse” — how victims can’t break free from their abusers for monetary reasons. “It’s the No. 1 reason why women don’t leave abusive relationships, and it’s the No. 1 reason why, even when they do leave, they go back,” Washington explains.

The Purple Purse campaign includes the #FreetoWalk short film, America’s Largest Prison Break, which you can watch here:

In the celebrity world, the topic of domestic violence has been front and center in recent weeks following Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s split. She has accused him of domestic violence, and has taken quite a hit for doing so. We asked Washington what can be done to end the culture of blaming the victim.

“When you brought up the idea of victim-blaming, it really reminded me of Confirmation and making that movie,” she says, referring to the TV flick, which was out in April and saw Washington playing Anita Hill, who knew a little something about the topic. “I think a big part of the culture — and Joe Biden spoke about this at the summit, as did a lot of the speakers — comes from our resistance to deal with the reality, our resistance to accept the truth of the abuses of power that go on in this world. It’s important that victims know when they come forward that they are going to be heard, believed, and helped.”

She continued, “Ending violence against women is no easy task — though I think we’ll get there because there are so many hardworking people going at the issue —but being able to attack the problem in a way that is so concrete and specific. Knowing that a woman’s financial disempowerment is the No. 1 reason why she doesn’t leave or why she goes back. It’s like, ‘Oh, if we empower women financially — if we give them the education and the training and the resources to walk away — then we can make a tangible difference that gives them enough distance to do the other work.’ So the more that we support survivors and empower victims to transform into survivors and affirm those stories and share those stories and break the silence, the more we will be confronted with the truth and may be less likely to shame out of fear.”

Earlier this week, Washington was a guest speaker at the White House United State of Women Summit, where she talked about ending domestic violence. The event brought her back together with President Obama, whom she has supported since his first presidential bid, and first lady Michelle Obama. Does rubbing elbows with American royalty ever start to feel normal?

Kerry Washington and Usher campaigning for Barack Obama in 2008. (Photo: Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

“I don’t think it ever gets normal,” she replies. “We’re very close to them. I hold them in such high regard. I’m definitely not as nervous as I was the first time — although having known them since the campaign in ’08, it’s a lot of time to be able to find a comfort zone with somebody.”

She adds, “But I think even without their titles, when they leave office, I’ll always hold them in a place of awe and reverence because I respect who they are as people, more than their titles even. I just respect them as human beings.”

Watch Washington’s speech at United State of Women Summit here:

Vicky Dinges, the senior vice president of corporate responsibility at Allstate Insurance Company, tells Yahoo Celebrity, “Kerry Washington’s passion for ending domestic violence and empowering women has been invaluable to Allstate Foundation Purple Purse.” Learn more about the campaign here.