Surviving rape fundamentally changed me. Four months before I was raped, held captive, and finally escaped, I graduated from Georgia State University’s prestigious Urban Studies and Nonprofit Administration program with a Master’s degree, a 4.0 GPA and the department’s highest …
Category: Activism
Don’t Doubt the Memories of a Survivor
25 years later, I remember so many details about the day I was raped.
Mocking Survivors Is Unpresidential
Dear President Trump, Just when I think you might be growing into your role as a leader, you remind me my hope is misplaced. Shame on you for mocking Dr. Christine Blasey Ford during your pep rally in Mississippi. You …
Stop Blaming Survivors and Start Believing
Why is it so hard to believe a woman could be raped and yet not seek justice?
We Have to Speak Our Truth About Rape
Why rape survivors are speaking out now and what they experience as a result.
The End of Painful Hugs
The Washington Post recently ran a piece asking Is the era of the social hug over? Some people sure hope so. The author, Lavanya Ramanatan, wonders if this era of #MeToo is bringing an end to hugs not handshakes as …
I’m an Angel, Aren’t I?
I’ve known since high school our last name isn’t our “real” last name. It hasn’t bothered me. As the story goes, brothers who arrived in the United States in the 1890s had a hard time getting the guys on Ellis …
Dear Mr. President: About That Racism
Dear Mr. President, I received today the “1600 Daily” email message from your office. It said, “Majority of Americans agree with the President [sic] on immigration.” The two voting American citizens (one whose family roots predate the Civil War and …
Dear Mr. President
Dear Mr. President, As the leader of our nation, it behooves you to behave presidentially and yet, time and again, you choose to do otherwise, embarrassing yourself and the people you claim to represent. Millions of children look to you …
Oh, Yes, Me, Too
The leaves finally began turning, not here, where I have rebuilt my life, but, rather, in the mountains linking North to South Carolina. Here, it’s still summer, with daily temps still well in the 80s. There’s no frost on the …
