Birmingham residents can learn about warning signs of domestic violence, access resources and even take a self-defense class a a free seminar from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 21 at the Boutwell Auditorium.

The seminar, organized by Birmingham City Council President Pro Tem Crystal Smitherman, will feature a variety of guest speakers and areas of expertise. Attendees will get breakfast, snacks, door prizes, and goodie bags.

“By discussing relationship violence openly, we can reduce the stigma associated with being a victim. This can make it easier for survivors to seek help without feeling judged or blamed,” Smitherman said.

Through Sept. 30, 2023, Birmingham police say there have been 5,469 domestic incidents reported and 461 arrests made.

The event schedule will start with a self defense session led by Kennan Walay, who has spent 11 years teaching self-defense, threat neutralization and situational awareness across the nation.

The self defense session will be followed by presentations by members of domestic violence awareness organizations, One Place Metro Alabama Family Justice Center and the YWCA.

Read more: Learn more about AL.com’s new violence prevention reporter, Alaina, and support her work.

Read more: Find resources, help for domestic violence in Alabama.

Each speaker will present information regarding the impact of relationship violence on children and families and the importance of self-care as well as how to be an advocate and connect victims of domestic violence with resources.

Susann Montgomery-Clark, founder of the Megan Montgomery Foundation, will talk about how to recognize escalating unhealthy behavior in a relationship and how to help a loved one in need.

Montgomery-Clark’s daughter, Megan Montgomery, was murdered by her estranged, ex-police husband in 2019.

“The only way we could survive Megan’s death was by doing something good. We have lived experience. And we’re trying to make sure that young people and parents have the information we did not have,” Montgomery-Clark said.

Before her death, Montgomery was trying to escape her abuser. Her mother said she had reached out to One Place and the YWCA. She had gone to police. She was going to testify in court against her abuser on Dec. 5, 2019. Montgomery was shot and killed on Dec. 1.

“She was a beautiful soul, but the problem is Megan was one of the thousands of beautiful souls that were killed in 2019 from domestic violence,” Montgomery-Clark said.

Annually, domestic violence is responsible for over 1,500 deaths in the U.S., according to the National Library of Medicine.

She said that before Megan’s death, her daughter wanted to share her experience to help other women avoid the horrors of domestic violence.

“If Megan had known any of her peers, or any of our friends in church, or in her workplace, if only we had known their stories, Megan could have had somebody to talk to that had been through it. Oh gosh, it could have helped so much. But still there’s so much stigma attached to it,” Montgomery-Clark said.

The Megan Montgomery Foundation provides grants to high schools, colleges and nonprofits for education on healthy relationships, to empower young adults to recognize unhealthy behaviors and stop relationship violence before it starts.

“People being willing to learn about it is the first step and then schools being willing to address it, colleges in particular, because it takes a lot of institutional courage for a school or an organization to address it early on,” she said. “That’s a big deal because young adults are not trained. And even adults like us, we’re not trained how to intervene when we see something.”

The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 800-799-7233. Victims can also text START to 88788. Operators are available 24/7 in English and Spanish.