Over and over again I hear, why didn’t they speak out before? Would you speak out if you didn’t feel safe? Maybe you feel safe and strong sitting at home reading about these people. But you haven’t been shown every safe place you ever believed in can be torn down. You didn’t have to freeze in the moment and go over it again and again in your head trying to make sure no shred of reality could be mistaken for your fault. You haven’t had all your strength torn down by a stranger, a person you thought you knew, or someone you loved. They have to rise from that, and now we make them have to rise through marmalade scoffs that hold them back again and tell them once again they aren’t strong when they are. They are stronger than the combined power of every voice telling them no.
This isn’t just on TV. This isn’t just in the news. This is your daughter. This is your sister. This is the girl you sat next to at lunch. This is your best friend scared to even tell you. This is reality. Let’s be better. Let’s believe each other. I know I could be better. I’m trying to be better. Honestly, it is hard when society has tried to conform you to their way for centuries. It’s hard to feel like fighting when our government is infested with men proving our efforts to support survivors and to teach generations to come to be better are futile. But I’m going to keep trying to be better at supporting, listening, opening my arms and heart to anyone who needs. I only can make myself better and implore you to do the same.
Do you have people to tell. Do you have people to trust. Because women, let’s believe. Let’s listen. Let’s support. Let's line up in hallways to be a wall not letting the scared silence the strong. Let’s become a damn army.