Updated for 2025Silence “You have the right to remain silent.” I first heard that phrase in my 8th grade Civics class during the lesson on Miran
Silence
“You have the right to remain silent.”
I first heard that phrase in my 8th grade Civics class during the lesson on Miranda rights.
A great lesson. Important even.
Silence, I learned, could keep you out of prison. That made sense. Easy enough.
It lined right up with one of the earliest commandments I got from my family:
“Don’t put all your business in the street.”
Message received.
But here’s what no one taught…
Speaking
Who teaches us when to speak?
How to speak?
Especially about rape, molestation, abuse?
There were no lessons on that.
No drills. No flashcards. No “stop, drop, and roll” for trauma.
Not even the basic body safety talks many of us desperately needed.
We practiced tornado drills and fire escapes in Kindergarten,
but we weren’t taught how to escape the hands that shouldn’t be there,
the mouths that whispered threats,
the adults who traded innocence for silence.
And when Survivors do finally speak?
When we fight through fear, shame, memory, grief, and judgment just to tell the truth?
We’re met with walls.
Walls made of ignorance, denial, legacy protection, and fictional characters people are willing to protect more than actual children.
Some folks will go to war to protect a name.
A myth.
A reputation.
A stained-glass window.
Even when the truth is already bleeding out.
I’ve spoken my truth.
I’ve been heard by the people who matter.
And what I’ve learned is this:
“Understanding” is overrated.
Give me peace.
Give me justice.
Give me healing.
Give me blessings.
Then let me keep walking.
Your Inhumanity Is Showing
Still, it hurts to see how often Survivors are silenced.
It breaks something deep inside me.
Because it’s not just rudeness or insensitivity.
It’s cruelty.
It’s outdated, misguided, and dangerous.
Some people still haven’t updated their thinking.
They’re running old software in a world that has new truths.
They’ve missed the tremble in a Survivor’s voice.
They’ve missed the funeral services for those who couldn’t bear the weight.
They’ve missed the generational pain that echoes in families like a curse no one asked for.
And if they did see it—and still chose their comfort over truth?
I’m afraid they’ve downloaded something toxic.
We can tell.
🧠 The Power of Speaking
Let’s talk about what speaking does—for you, and for others.
1. Speaking can be healing.
No, your speech isn’t therapy.
But when your words come from the heart and are offered to help others understand?
Healing happens.
Your truth, your story, your voice—it reaches places that data charts and bullet points never will.
2. Your story opens eyes.
Some people still think rape “only happens to certain people.”
Some think only monsters, strangers, or “other kinds of people” abuse others.
But when you speak—you break those lies open.
You show them that Survivors come in every race, faith, income level, gender, and walk of life.
You show them what courage really looks like.
🎤 What a Difference a Voice Makes
I know the power of storytelling because I’ve seen it save lives.
One voice.
One room.
One truth.
That’s all it takes to light the fire of awareness in someone who will go on to protect a child, question a system, or comfort another Survivor.
So speak.
Write.
Tell.
Share.
Not because you owe anyone your story.
But because you have the right to speak.
For many of us, speaking isn’t just a choice.
It’s how we stay free.
🖊️ Tonya GJ Prince
Founder, WeSurviveAbuse.com | Survivor Affirmations | Rosas Children
