This event was empowering and eye-opening. For many people, domestic violence and sexual assault is something that should be hidden from the public. The speakers did an incredible job with showcasing the ways in which sexual assault and harassment affect each and every one of us even those who have not personally experienced it. Some of the speakers came from dysfunctional family environments where healthy relationships weren’t displayed very often. The first woman who spoke talked about her own personal experience with domestic violence. She was a marine who married another marine and she had what seemed like the perfect marriage. She grew up in a small town where things like sexual assault and domestic violence weren’t talked about or acknowledged. She told us that her breaking point was when one of her kids saw her husband lay a hand on her and that that was the last straw. She asked herself who would take care of her children if something happened to her and she didn’t want to put her kids through that. Another girl shared her story about having to see her abuser at school every day and how painful it was for her. I know all too well how that feels and her words helped remind me that I’m not alone.
Throughout the event there were repeated messages of acknowledging the hurt and knowing that there will never be another one of ourselves. That we are strong and that we need to take back our power for ourselves and never let it go. There will never be anyone like you because there is only one you. They also mentioned that these things take time and that going to therapy is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of strength.
Natalie Illum, the keynote speaker, talked about her experiences with both assault and disability. She told us that one of her friends was assaulted too but she didn’t find out until much later which is usually how these things go. Natalie read us original poetry that showed her disbelief at how people tend to distrust victims of sexual assault. She wrote a poem about a poetry slam event that she went to. She wrote about 9, 10, 11 and 12 year old’s who read their original poems about their past sexual assaults. They were so very young. At the end of all of this, she said that she believes us and that it is time for us to own ourselves and what has happened to us. Even when and if perpetrators are not caught, the important thing to know is that it is not our fault nor was it ever our fault.
This event was empowering not only as a woman but as a human being. It is helping us take one more step forward in the effort to get rid of the stigma surrounding sexual assault and domestic violence. The speakers at the event helped remind me that I am not alone in what I, and many others, have experienced. All of these speeches resonated with me because of not only my experience but because of the experiences of all the strong women around me and the ways in which they were able to pick themselves up and start again.
