The Relationship Between Power and Truth: Why Survivors Must Be Free to Speak
So women all over the globe started telling truths around violence, abuse, and sexual harassment. The next thing you [...]
6 Ways Asking for Help Enriches Your Life
I realize that in our society, it is almost fashionable to come down on someone in need. Unfortunately, this keeps millions upon milli [...]
The Four Pillars of Oppression: Misogyny, Gynophobia, Sexism, and Patriarchy
Women do not suffer oppression by accident. The systems that harm us—misogyny, gynophobia, sexism, and patriarchy—are built into society, shaping the [...]
Self-Abandonment: How Survivors Can Come Home to Themselves
Self-abandonment is one of the most overlooked consequences of surviving abuse, harassment, or assault.It’s what happens when you learn—often in order [...]
How People Prompt or Lure Women to Prove Their Worth
"Why doesn't she leave? Why did she go back?"
We don't spend a lot of time examining what makes women doubt themselves. I look forward to the days [...]
🚩 When His Praise Requires Another Woman’s Demeaning: That’s Not a Compliment—That’s a Red Flag
At first, you felt flattered.He spoke highly of you. Said you were different. Said you were “better” than the women of his own race. Smarter. Softer. [...]
“They’ll Be Raped Anyway” Is Not a Strategy—It’s Cowardly a Surrender
Some people are not "foxhole" people. They surrender mid-battle.
You say,“Well, women will be raped anyway…”as if that justifies handing predators [...]
She Never Saw It Coming: The Danger of Assuming a Man Will Take Care of You for a Lifetime
No woman envisions herself needing the services of a domestic violence or rape advocate. No woman walks into a marriage or long-term relationship expe [...]
Until This Country Reckons with How It Treats Black People, It Will Never Heal Its Violence
Until this country reckons with how it treats Black people—how its systems treat Black people—how it still treats Black women carrying chronic illness [...]
What to Say to the Inner Voice That Still Blames You
(And Why That Voice Isn’t the Truth)
You’ve left the relationship.You’ve named what happened.Maybe you’ve even started to heal.But some days… the [...]
Letter from an Angry Survivor of Sexual Violence about this Bill Cosby Tragedy
7/7/2015Tonight I am angry.
That isn't my default setting though. Usually, I smile so much that I have to consciously tell myself not to d [...]
Sisterhood Isn’t a Cage: Reject the Love Bombs That Protect Male Violence
Some women will drench you in compliments, promises, and affection —not to celebrate you,not to empower you,but to disarm you.
They come smiling, arm [...]
When Chaos Is a Weapon: How Some Partners Use Crisis to Control You
And why you’re not “mean” for wanting peaceIt starts with a bad decision.Maybe a DUI.Maybe losing another job.Maybe a fight with the [...]
Love Doesn’t Mean Lying: I Can Respect You and Still Speak the Truth
If you think I have to choose between truth and respect,You underestimate the power of both.
See, real love doesn't demand silence.Real respect doesn [...]
A Woman-Centered Truth About FGM We Cannot Abandon (w/list of resource organizations)
FGM victims’ fury as academics compare practice to cosmetic surgeryAny honest critique of global efforts to address female genital mutil [...]
Betrayal Blindness: The Cost of Ignoring Harm
Betrayal is not always loud. It does not always come with a clear sign or a dramatic confrontation. Sometimes, it comes wrapped in silence, in denial, [...]
24 More Phrases People Use to Try to Silence Survivors of Sexual Violence
Updated on 4/11/22 from 7/14/2016I now know why my Granny, Grandma Monroe, Aunt, and Mama encouraged me to get quiet when a storm rolled in. &nbs [...]
When Women Are Violated by Men, Don’t Police Our Tone — Restore Our Safety
Men should never expect a polite, dainty response when they violate women’s spaces.When you disrupt our safety, you activate our nervous systems — and [...]
Naming the Chains: Understanding Misogyny, Gynophobia, Sexism, and Patriarchy
These systems and beliefs shape how society treats women and girls, often reinforcing oppression, inequality, and violence. While they overlap, each [...]
Our Mental Health Crisis is a Values Crisis
We have made a choice.
Not quietly.Not accidentally.Not without consequence.
We have chosen to be a nation that does not guarantee authentic and tru [...]
Overcoming Insecurities for Women
Living with insecurities can be an incredibly difficult experience for women. It can be even worse if you are unaware of what is causing those in [...]
Don’t Be Tricked Into Serving What Would Never Save You
Avoid letting any man—no matter how soft his tone, poetic his struggle, or urgent his cause—trick you into laboring for him, defending him, uplifting [...]
Weaponized Empathy Is Not Solidarity. It’s Coercion.
Let’s be real. There is a difference between asking someone to care and asking someone to give themselves away.
What we are seeing—too often, and too [...]
11 Ways to Maintain Your Cool When Life Has No Chill
originally published 12/22/16Circa 1980 something, New JerseyMy mother: "So, if everybody else goes crazy does that you mean you go crazy too?"Me:.... [...]
Cultural Complicity: The Silence That Hurts More Than the First Harm
He Did the Harm. They Held the Door.
Sometimes it’s not just the person who hurts you.
It’s the people who stay quiet.
It’s the family who says,“Do [...]
Domestic Abuse And Suicide Prevention: How To Help A Loved One
Heads up! This post comes from Michelle Peterson from RecoveryPride.org. Be very informed.....Domestic Abuse And Suicide Prevention: [...]
Unburdened: Breaking the Chains of Servitude and Reclaiming Rest for Black Women
Breaking these chains requires a multi-layered approach that includes self-liberation, community support, and cultural shifts. Black women can break [...]
How to Support Lesbian Friends in Abusive Relationships
As an advocate, you become familiar with the careful way that a woman tells you her story. She's testing your waters. Are you safe? Are you judgment [...]
🛡️ Building Courage After Abuse: Breath by Breath, Brick by Brick
After abuse, courage doesn't roar back all at once.It flickers.It shakes.It comes in broken whispers and trembling steps.And that's okay.
Courage aft [...]
Violence Against Women Always Looks for an Inside Woman
Like most acts of violence against women,invasion of boundaries doesn’t just show up with brute force.It counts on betrayal.It counts on a hand extend [...]
10 Excellent Memoirs about the Sexual Violence Survivor's Journey
Glad to see that we are in a season of listening to the powerful voices of Survivors. Excellent! What is most unfortunate is that there ar [...]
🕯️ Sandy’s Law: The Price She Paid, The Road She Built
[WeSurviveAbuse.com]
There are women today who believe that feminism is no longer needed.But sometimes the only reason it feels unnecessary is beca [...]