U.S. Senator Jack Reed this week announced his guest for the 2023 State of the Union address, scheduled to take place on February 7.
Lucy Rios, executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV), will join the senator. Rios, a resident of Central Falls, has served as the executive director of RICADV since September 2022 and has dedicated two decades to supporting survivors of domestic violence and their families. She is also a founding board member of the Segue Institute for Learning Charter School, a member of the Racial and Environmental Justice Committee of the City of Providence, and a founding member of SISTA FIRE, an organization that seeks to empower women of color in Rhode Island.
Senator Reed praised Rios as a “tireless champion for preventing and responding to domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of abuse.” He highlighted her efforts in reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act and spoke about the $700 million funding he helped deliver for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Rios expressed her honor and humility at being invited to the State of the Union address, acknowledging Senator Reed’s strong support of the anti-domestic violence movement. She emphasized the importance of ending domestic violence for the health of families and communities and the need for solidarity from lawmakers and community members.
Senator Reed has helped pass several laws and appropriations initiatives to prevent domestic violence, support survivors, and hold perpetrators accountable. These include directing $1 billion in supplemental funding for domestic violence and sexual assault services, reforming the military justice system to address sexual assault and harassment, ending forced arbitration for sexual assault and harassment, and increasing resources for survivors of crime, including gender-based violence.
Rios will travel to Washington, DC on February 7 to attend the President’s State of the Union speech, which is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET.