On December 8, 2011, more than 80 people will come together to talk about domestic violence and sexual assault at Liz Claiborne Inc.’s eighth annual It’s Time to Talk Day.

On that day, thanks to a long-standing partnership with Talk Radio News Service, radio hosts from around the country will travel to Times Square in New York City and use their broadcast platforms to help generate awareness and educate the public about these issues. What makes this event significant is not the number of years it has run—though this is something we are quite proud of. Rather what distinguishes this day is the breadth of people we reach with messages of prevention, of hope and of healing.

With radio as the medium, we can touch a huge range of individuals and remind them that they are not alone; that there are people out there who care if they are not safe at home...who care if they have been sexually assaulted...who care to teach them and their children what digital dating abuse looks like and how to address it. With the help of these amazing radio hosts—some of whom come back year after year to help share these messages—we can reinforce why it is so important to speak out about these issues, rather than hide them away in dark corners. The other aspect of It’s Time to Talk Day that makes it unique is the camaraderie that is fostered among the guests who come to be interviewed. Celebrities, business people, advocates, survivors, government officials and law enforcement mingle and meet. Though we do not know the exact numbers, over the years many a partnership has been formed as people snack on chips or sip coffee waiting for their time on the air.

So what can someone do to help on December 8th? Help us bring the domestic violence and sexual assault into the light. Use that day as a catalyst to start conversations about these issues with your friends, family and co-workers. Post a message on Facebook or send a tweet. Certainly there is enough in the news these days to discuss. You don’t have to have all the answers—just opening up a dialogue is valuable. Then you can check out www.joyfulheartfoundation.org or www.loveisnotabuse.com to learn more. Though it may not seem like it to you, this one little step can go a long way to teaching everyone across the country that one day is not enough…that it’s always time to talk about these issues—at least until there is nothing left to talk about.

Jane Randel is the Director of Liz Claiborne Inc.'s Love Is Not Abuse initiatives, which strive to address partner abuse at its root cause. The company has begun a sustained effort to focus on teen dating abuse and violence. With a teen dating abuse prevention curriculum, hand books and innovative research to help teens, teachers, parents and domestic violence organizations, Liz Claiborne Inc. provides free resources to all members of society—alerting all demographics to the domestic violence epidemic and educating them on what they can do, individually and collectively to curtail abuse. Join in the conversation by visiting www.loveisnotabuse.com.