Love shouldn’t hurt: Delta Sigma Theta, Omega Psi Phi host second domestic violence webinar tonight


The Greater Cleveland Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and the Zeta Omega Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, will co-host its second webinar in its “Love Shouldn’t Hurt—Stop the Violence, End the Silence: Obtaining a Protection Order” tonight, Monday, Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m.

The webinar, which is free and open to the public, is meant to bring awareness to, and promote the prevention of, domestic violence.  Registration is requested.

The webinar will provide resources to those who are victims of domestic violence or know someone who is a victim. The goal is to educate participants on how to obtain a court-ordered protection order, which can be a necessary tool in ending an abusive relationship, either for themselves or someone close to them.

“We strive to partner with organizations and leaders who are committed to raising awareness about the prevention of domestic violence,” says Anthony Charles, 4th District chair of  Omega Psi Phi’s Conflict Resolution Committee. “There are strategies available to us that can help make us safer and reduce the chances that we may become a victim of domestic violence.”

Amanda WilliamsAmanda WilliamsCharles points to these statistics as the motivation to host the “Love Shouldn’t Hurt” series:

  • Nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the U.S.
  • One in four women and one in nine men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking.
  • This equates to 41% of women and 26% of men experiencing contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime.
The webinar will be led by Woodmere Village Mayor Benjamin I. Holbert, III and Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Division of Domestic Relations judge Tonya R. Jones.

Holbert was first elected mayor in 2017, and then reelected in 2021. Previously, Holbert served on the village council and as council president for five years. He is an active member of Zeta Omega Chapter of Omega Psi Phi.  

Jones began her term on the court in 2017 and is the first African American female to serve as a judge in the court’s almost 100-year history. She is an active member of Greater Cleveland Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta.

Delta Sigma Theta and Omega Psi Phi first began hosting the “Love Shouldn’t Hurt” webinars last December,  after 46-year-old Amanda Williams was shot multiple times in her Warrensville Heights home last October. Her fiancé, Tirrell Edwards, has been charged with one count of aggravated murder, two counts of murder, and two counts of felonious assault, and is scheduled to go on trial today in Warrensville Heights.

Williams was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.