Although Valentine’s Day has honorable historical roots, increased commercialization has turned February 14th into the prototypical “Hallmark Holiday,” so called for its emphasis on consumer spending. Because of this, Valentine’s Day has lost some of its former value as a representation of unconditional love, regardless of wealth, status or appearance. In my opinion, Valentine’s Day should be a reminder for us to let everyone in our lives — our friends, families, and significant others-know that they are loved.

However, messages of love are important enough that they shouldn’t be restricted to just one day of the year. We should be constantly affirming our feelings toward each other, instead of locking them away until the coming of that one day in February, when we are expected to release them, accompanied by lavish displays of materialism in the form of boxes of chocolates and glittering necklaces.

Suffice it to say that Valentine’s Day isn’t the picturesque scene of love that it’s cracked up to be, which is why this February 14th, I am celebrating a different sort of holiday. It is one about love still, but not in the way that one would expect.

V-Day might be the abbreviation for Valentine’s Day, but it also stands for a completely different idea. V-Day is a worldwide activist organization that focuses on bringing awareness to violence against women and then rectifying it. V-Day is celebrated every February 14th and this year is its 15th anniversary.

To commemorate the day, V-Day is launching its own event this year called One Billion Rising. The idea comes from recent statistics released by the United Nations. According to the event’s website, “one in three women on the planet will be raped or beaten in her lifetime.” If this is the case, then with our current population, one billion women will experience such acts of violence. Although V-Day has been fighting for 14 years now to stop senseless aggression against women, the battle for gender equality is today nowhere close to being won and it seems an unfortunate truth that one billion mistreated women will suffer the consequences.

To stand up for women’s rights, One Billion Rising will take place this February 14th, 2013. The event is about encouraging one billion women to get up (this time voluntarily) and dance in order to make their voices heard about violence against women. As the website states: “One billion women violated is an atrocity. One billion women dancing is a revolution.”

Although it seems unrealistic to aspire to see one billion women dancing out in the open this Valentine’s Day, the movement isn’t so much about the numbers as it is about the message – and already, many powerful women have joined the cause. Bernice A. King, daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., has even spoken out on behalf of One Billion Rising to denounce hostility against women herself: according to King, the question has now become one of nonviolence versus nonexistence, and naturally we must choose nonviolence.

The movement supports a number of smaller local events where the actual dancing will take place. A location tracker on the event’s website allows visitors to find the closest sites that will be hosting dances or other relevant activities during the day of February 14th and the days leading up to it. For example, on the 14th, a flash mob will be gathering at The Grove mall and participants will also be dancing at the Nokia Plaza in LA at 6 PM. Several celebrities will be attending and the whole plaza will be opened up as a public dance floor.

I will be out there dancing February 14th, whether in Los Angeles or just at home, and I encourage all women and those that love them to do the same. I find refreshing the idea of using a tradition as antiquated as Valentine’s Day in an entirely unexpected way, to stand up for something worth fighting for — in this case, gender equality.
Happy V-Day, Sea Kings.