What I Learned Working With Survivors of Domestic Violence

Today a long-held dream came true with the publication of a piece in Oprah Daily drawn from my seven years working at our rural North Carolina’s domestic violence and rape crisis agency. I’d pitched the idea to magazines and newspapers over a dozen times over the past several years. Thankfully, I connected with the perfect editor who felt as passionately as I did that we need to talk about this issue.

This story is near and dear to my heart. The tentacles of relationship violence reach everywhere in our society as the cause of homelessness, poverty, child abuse, mental health issues, substance abuse and addiction, and more. I’ve always dreamed of a time when the issue would be taken seriously and abusers would be held accountable in truly meaningful ways. That means we in the community need to step up, become educated, and demand more of our legal system.

I’ve shared the link to the story on all my socials and have already heard from a woman who is feeling the dreadful heartbreaking weight of this day — it’s the anniversary of the death of her sister who was murdered by her abuser as she was trying to leave.

I hope you will take a moment and read my piece and that you share it with your friends, family, and faith leaders. I believe the paywall has been removed for better access to important information. Thanks in advance for helping advance the conversation.