I started volunteering at domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers when I was in college, and for a time those service agencies dominated by career as well. I’ve listened to survivors tell their stories in tiny offices, in support groups, in courtrooms and ante chambers, in legislative hearings, at bill signings, at candlelight vigils, in classrooms, on panels at so many trainings of volunteers-law enforcement officers-nurses, in ER waiting rooms, at Take Back the Night Marches.
I’ve answered hotline calls that scared me from miles away. I’ve answered hotline calls that I thought would never end. And once, I witnessed at her request as a client asked for her minutes-old-baby to be brought to her breast where she cooed at him that the violence was never, ever going to touch his life.
I am so fortunate for what I’ve witnessed, but I’ve moved on from that career several years ago. You never really “move on” from something you’ve become aware of, though, so when I saw Maggie’s blog, I knew it was a good thing to be a part of as a reader. Violence UnSilenced has been a platform for survivors to share their stories with a listening community, and it is nothing short of amazing.