She said she was leaving so he left her for dead,
and now she rises.
She got the type of bruises no one can see,
and now she rises.
She lost her job and her sobriety,
and now she rises.
She lied to everyone about her perfect family,
and now she rises.
She learned his illness is not an excuse,
and now she rises.
She stopped believing it was her fault,
and now she rises.
You already know a victim of domestic abuse.
Every minute -
20 people in the US are abused by an intimate partner.
Every day -
more than 20,000 calls are made to domestic violence hotlines.
Every year -
over 10 million children are exposed to domestic abuse.
Everyone - regardless of economic status, race, age or religion is affected. In fact, the FBI estimates violence will occur during the course of two-thirds of marriages. And because domestic abuse isn’t always physical––it can be verbal attacks, emotional manipulation, extreme isolation and financial control––it doesn’t always leave marks we can see. That’s why the CDC has called this a hidden epidemic and a “serious public health problem.”
At And Now She Rises, we think the answer (or the ANSR, ahem) is up to the public too.
Only a woman can pull herself out of an abusive situation, but moving forward from that point on requires community… from safety-plans for the hours immediately after she escapes to the support groups she may need to rely on for years afterward; from legal help to housing logistics to learning how to engage in healthy relationships again. And most important of all: understanding. A survivor needs our willingness to see her reality and circle the wagons around her.
Together we can help turn a woman’s pain into power. And that kind of positivity also affects the whole world.
Join us.
And Now She Rises
P.O. Box 8095, Saint Paul, MN 55108
