by Andy Peck

About the author: Andy Peck is the youth coordinator for Men Stopping Violence, an Atlanta, Georgia, social change organization dedicated to ending men’s violence against women.

Editor’s Note: This viewpoint was excerpted from the closing keynote address delivered at the Target Violence: A Time to Air It Out conference in Valdosta, Georgia.

I’ve been asked to talk about sexual violence prevention today. . . .

Maybe it goes without saying that hope is something all of us need in our work—especially work against violence and abuse, work that can be so emotionally and spiritually taxing, which can be so discouraging.

To begin this discussion about hope, I want to share a quote with you, one that has both haunted and inspired me. This is a passage...