The Bridgeport-based Center for Family Justice, formerly known as The Center for Women and Families of Eastern Fairfield County, will host an authority on domestic violence at its annual Speaking of Women Luncheon, Sept. 18 at The Waterview in Monroe. Sign-in begins at 11:30 a.m.
Linda Fairstein was chief of the sex crimes prosecution unit of the Manhattan District Attorney”™s Office from 1972 to 2002.
Fairstein”™s topic will be violence against women and children. This is the justice center”™s 17th annual Speaking of Women lunch and the first under its new name.
“Linda Fairstein knows first-hand the importance of our mission,” said Debra Greenwood, CEO and president of The Center for Family Justice, in a statement. “Her message will provide insight into the issues of sexual and domestic violence, and that with the needed resources in place, such as the ones the center provides, survival after trauma is possible. We couldn”™t be happier that she has agreed to be our speaker this year.”
Fairstein supervised the investigation and trial of Manhattan cases involving domestic, sexual and child abuse, and homicides arising from those crimes. She was lead attorney in the 1988 homicide prosecution of Robert Chambers, known as “the preppy murder case.”
Fairstein is the author of a series of crime novels starring Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper. The 16th book in the series, “Terminal City,” was published in June.
She also authored a nonfiction book, “Sexual Violence: Our War Against Rape,” which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. She is a regular contributor on criminal justice issues to magazines, journals and online publications such as The Daily Beast, and does on-air commentary for major television network and cable news shows.
Money raised will help in the center”™s yearlong transformation into Connecticut”™s first Family Justice Center and the 85th in the world. “Although our name has changed,” the organization said in a statement, “our mission remains constant: Continuing our advocacy, education and crisis services for those shattered by domestic, sexual and child abuse.”
Tickets, at $175 each, include lunch. Go to centerforfamilyjustice.org, or contact Pam Dougherty at pdougherty@centerforfamilyjustice.org or 203-334-6154, ext. 21.
