survivor

What do Jeff Bezos, Bernie Sanders, Karl Lagerfeld, and Phylicia Rashad have in common?

I’m a fan of TV family dramas, from Parenthood, to Party of Five, to Little House and to, of course, NBC’s This is Us. On yesterday’s episode of This is Us, fans of the show got an in depth look at one of the main character’s childhood back story — Phylicia Rashad make her debut as Beth’s mother, a story line that foreshadows…

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Episode 36: #SurvivorStories Series with Ashley Bendiksen on healing through advocacy

On today’s show, our guest is Ashley Bendiksen, a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault who has transformed her experience to become a vocal advocate, activist and public speaker on issues related to ending gender-based violence.  Her work centers on reaching youth and helping empower them to engage in self-discovery and end abuse. Ashley…

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Episode 35: #SurvivorStories Series with Maria Santiago on the impact of childhood domestic violence

On today’s show, our guest is Maria Santiago, a survivor of childhood domestic violence or family violence, a protective parent, and a decades long advocate for survivors of intimate partner violence.  Maria is employed as a violence prevention educator in a NYC non-profit organization and works on elder justice reform in the Latino community as…

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Weaponizing Race at the Expense of Survivor Safety and Abuser Accountability - Yet Again!

Imagine attending a #BlackLivesMatter organizing meeting and hearing the organizers spout #AllLivesMatter or #BlueLivesMatter as a rallying cry. Imagine going to a Title IX policy workshop that touted itself as a solution to strengthening accountability of campus rape and sexual assaults, then hearing the speakers refer to Brock Turner, not as a convicted rapist, but…

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Episode 32: #SurvivorStories Series with Lana on her “Sophie’s Choice” to protect her daughter from CSA

On this #SurvivorStories Series episode, we speak with Lana, a protective mother whose failed plight to seek help from the legal and justice systems in New York City for her daughter has led her to find refuge in Russia.  Lana describes the police, court and child welfare response when she first suspected her toddler daughter…

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