At benefit, activist to address domestic violence

For most of her life, Denise Brown wasn't interested in speaking out against domestic violence - or anything else, for that matter.

"I used to ditch school if I had to speak in class," Brown said. "I was terrified. Didn't want any part of it."

That all changed on June 12, 1994. Brown's younger sister Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were slain in one of the nation's most infamous crimes. A passionate advocate in the fight against domestic abuse was born.

"We had the awareness of Nicole, and there was this big splash," said Brown, who will be the keynote speaker at the annual Women Helping Women luncheon to benefit Samaritan House, at 10:30 a.m. today at the Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club in Virginia Beach. "Then, 15 years later, we had Chris (Brown) and Rihanna, and there was another big splash. How many more big splashes are we going to need before everyone wakes up?"

Denise Brown, 51, acknowledges her own wake-up call was many years in coming. She said her parents didn't even raise their voices to each other, and initially she even scoffed at reports that Nicole, the wife and then ex-wife of former NFL player O.J. Simpson, had been abused. "I was the one who said, 'Nicole is not a battered woman,' " Brown said. "It was like I was in this bubble."

It wasn't until Brown began reading Nicole's diaries after the killings that the light bulb went on for the self-described "mom from Laguna Beach."

"I was like, 'Oh, my God!,' " she said. "After that, my mom and I went to a shelter. And that's when I started getting educated."

In March 1995, Brown gave her first anti-domestic-violence speech.

"Columbia, Mo., in front of 800 people," she recalled. "I felt like I was going to throw up or pass out. But after about 30 seconds, it was like, 'I'm OK.' And I just kept going from there."

Since then, Brown has evolved into one of the faces of the cause. She was on a plane headed to an engagement 17 times in October alone. She's testifying before Congress for increased funding for the Violence Against Women Act.

"Having Denise Brown as the guest speaker is like a home run for us," Women Helping Women chair Diane Johnston said of her sold-out luncheon. "Combined with the work of our committee members, it's helped our luncheon raise more money than ever."

Brown's appearance comes at a memorable time in her personal history - Nicole would have celebrated her 50th birthday Wednesday. The Women Helping Women staff joined Brown in planting a tree in honor of her sister at the Samaritan House Outreach Center to mark the occasion.

"I'm know I'm going to be speaking out the rest of my life," Brown said. "I mean, knowing what I know, I'd feel horribly guilty if I didn't speak out."

Paul White, (757) 418-1447, paul.white@pilotonline.com