Jeff and Margaret Binkley founded Maura’s Voice in the wake of the November 2018 shooting at a Tallahassee, Florida Hot Yoga studio that took the life of their daughter Maura, then a 21-year-old senior at Florida State University. This shooting was a crime of hate committed by a misogynist member of the incel subculture with a long history of abusive and criminal behavior toward women. FSU Medical School Professor Dr. Nancy Van Vessem was also lost, and four other women were wounded in the attack. The victims were targeted for no other reason than being women.
In the aftermath of this tragedy Jeff and Margaret are working to honor Maura’s legacy through addressing hatred and violence in our society based on the premise that: Research + Education + Engagement = Change. To put the premise into practice, Maura’s Voice supports: academic and legal research focused on hate crimes and prevention of violence against women and girls through the Maura’s Voice Fund for Research (MVFR) at Florida State University; initiatives to educate the public, policy makers and media on effective policy alternatives; and programs to promote civic engagement by the young women of Maura’s generation.
My network of professionals working on countering hate in all its forms grew exponentially after attending Eradicate Hate in 2021. The myriad voices represented at Eradicate Hate, from big tech companies to academic researchers to those with lived experience, reinforced to me the importance of cross-cutting and collaborative approaches to counter hate and its devastating impacts on society. I’ve been fortunate to sustain and build those networks with many of those I met at Eradicate Hate in 2021.
