Most of the time I am a fairly quiet person. I am busy with my family and friends, my work, my studies, my research, etc. I tend to fly under the radar, get my stuff done and move on to the the next task without generating much notice. And then there are times that something happens where I feel moved to open my big mouth...
I already outed myself as a survivor on my blog post "Happy 10th," then the next day I read an article in the NY Times about the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Are we still this archaic? I answered yes, and counted myself as culpable. How many times have we heard that there is dignity in silence? Don't believe everything you hear. Silence is the domain of isolation, shame, and fear; these are the same wardens that keep people in violent relationships and prevent them from reporting assaults. Yet until recently I have been remarkably silent, and just kept moving forward to do right by my own little family.
Now I am doing something different; I am trying to do something right on a much larger scale. I want to go back to being silent, but my growing realization of mass disempowerment is more unsettling than the intensity of facing the wardens. I just need to stay connected as I do this. The next 2 weeks should be one heck of a roller coaster ride, but ultimately I think this is a good thing.
