Billboards, Coasters and Proclamations

During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the Zonta Club of Billings, USA, launched a bold, multi-platform campaign to confront and expose the ongoing epidemic of gender-based violence in the community. Centered on the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), the club’s Advocacy Committee took its message beyond conversation and into public view. A prominent electronic billboard was commissioned throughout October and November, amplifying voices too often silenced. Indigenous families who had lost loved ones to violence or disappearance were invited to share their stories, transforming the billboard into a powerful memorial and call to action. Images of missing and murdered women and girls appeared alongside stark statistics, ensuring the reality of gender-based violence could not be ignored.

Advocacy Committee Co-Chair, Renee Coppock, joined by fellow Zonta members, addressed the Billings City Council to urge formal recognition of the gender-based violence epidemic. The advocacy resulted in the Council’s signed Proclamation Against Gender-Based Violence, followed by a similar proclamation approved by the Yellowstone County Commissioners, reinforcing a unified stance at both city and county levels.

Throughout the 16 Days of Activism, the club sustained momentum online, sharing daily statistics, survivor-centered stories, and educational content across social media. These messages were amplified through the Club and District 12 websites and re-shared by Zonta members worldwide, extending the reach far beyond Billings, Montana.

Grassroots engagement rounded out the campaign as members partnered with local bars and restaurants to distribute Zonta Says NO coasters. Displaying the National Domestic Violence Hotline and National Human Trafficking Hotline numbers, along with critical data points, the coasters placed life-saving information directly into public spaces. Today, they are in use at numerous venues across the city, quiet but powerful reminders that help is available and violence is never acceptable.