A Window into Our Wild
I know the realest real is right here in this room.
I’ve always been blessed to have at least one great friend during every period of my life, but I’m not sure I’ve ever laughed as hard or felt as secure as I do here. Magic happens when women gather.
But not just any women—the real happens only when the women are real: with our soft, squishy hearts and razor-sharp teeth; with our frustrated, angry, and lonely tears and our gleeful cackles; with our broken bones and our stretch marks and our wrinkles and our love handles and saddle bags; with our broad shoulders and heroic backs; our honest words and flaws and failings and hopes and dreams.
You have to dump all that out in the center of the circle, take turns stirring up the shit and the trouble and the past—and our shitty troubled pasts. You have to be brave enough to sit there until it swirls down the drain.
THAT is when there is magic, the kind that can’t be explained by science or religion. Women are goddesses, alchemists, witches, angels, and gardeners. Making the magic, tending it, protecting it.
Passing it on.
—Lauren
Hear My Voice: "Women's History Month"
Kerra Blank
This month’s guest blog post was written by Kerra from BAWAC in Northern Kentucky.
Women's history month is the celebration of women who have made great accomplishments. Women such as Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks and Harriet Tubman have all made their mark on the world. In the 1950s women were told to be silent and to cook clean and take care of the children. But we are in 2022 now, and women are more progressive than ever. Doctors Lawyers and scientists are just a few examples for instance. Women have always been underestimated but are now stronger than ever before. In the great words of Audrey Hepburn: "Nothing is impossible; the word itself says I'm possible."
And what an iconic woman she was.
We should all follow her example and follow our dreams. We are women hear us roar!
—Kerra
About Kerra
When I was born, I was diagnosed with mosaic down syndrome and at 13, epilepsy. But still I went to public school and graduated from Simon Kenton High in 2008. Even with the disabilities I have and all the challenges it presented, I never let it limit me in any way.
I'm now working at BAWAC and I love it! I love the staff who are kind, the educational activities which keep my mind sharp, and the friendships which I cultivated. I always come in with a smile on my face, a good attitude, and an eagerness to work. I have a strong work ethic and I'm always looking to improve myself, learn new things, and to accept any challenges that head my way.
Though I've never had a college degree, I believe my hard work, dedication, and experiences will help me to achieve great things and hopefully make my dreams come true. Being here at BAWAC made me realize that I can achieve anything I set my mind to. I'm so excited to see what my future has in store for me. My hope is what keeps me going.
About BAWAC, Inc.
BAWAC, Inc., was established to serve people with disabilities or other barriers to employment through rehabilitation and employment opportunities. The vehicle for rehabilitation is the work itself. BAWAC also serves the business and industrial community by providing an appropriately skilled workforce, production and manufacturing services.
If you’d like to write a guest blog post for our Hear My Voice series, about your own personal experience, women’s history, social justice, antiviolence, or another related topic, please reach out to us.
Letter to a Survivor
Dear Survivor,
At the beginning of each of our classes, we address the circle, looking for you so we can tell you: Whatever you have been through, whatever you had to do to get here today, please know that you did your very best.
We can make eye contact with you and try to address that message to your very soul. We know right now you probably don’t believe it. Though your face is expressionless, you are probably thinking, You don’t know what I did. You don’t know what I let happen. You don’t know my story.
And you’re right—we don’t know those things unless you share them with us. And even then, your exact shoes are ones we’ll never walk in.
But there are a few things we do know: You are here today, which means you are smart and resilient and have at least a tiny spark of self-love—enough to want to protect yourself, enough to want to confront or cope with what’s happened, enough to want to heal yourself.
Survival is our most fundamental instinct. Like breathing or eating, when this work needs done, our bodies take over regardless of what our minds may want. Maybe you fought back with your words or body but couldn’t stop the assault. Maybe you froze or disconnected your brain and body to get through those terrible moments. Maybe you lied to yourself and others, or stole, betrayed, or burned bridges with loved ones to hide from your abuser or to keep their wrath at bay. Maybe you endured some type of violence to try to prevent another, worse type. Maybe your abuser forced you to say you wanted the abuse or deserved the abuse; maybe they forced you to tell your friends and family that you didn’t want them in your life anymore. Any of these things—or others—may fill you with guilt, shame, hurt, or rage now. But in the moment of those actions, your survival instinct was in charge. Just keep me alive. Nothing else matters if I don’t survive this day.
And although assault may make you feel isolated in a hundred different ways, we can promise you that you are not alone. We cannot return you to a time when this horrible thing didn’t happen to you and we cannot promise you that one day you’ll feel no pain, but we can offer you the space and support to name those things you thought you’d never be able to say out loud and begin to loosen their hold on your mind and heart. We can teach you things that will remind you how strong and capable you are. We can welcome you into our community if you feel ready for that.
We may not understand, but we’ll never stop listening to you, because you matter.
—Lauren & Lindsey