The Right To Heal

Reclaiming Your Body After Trauma Is A Personal Process, But You Don’t Have To Do It Alone.

- Niema Jordan

Recovery can take many forms and unfolds differently for everyone. Here advocates around the country offer wisdom to help Black women heal after experiencing sexual assault.

FIRST, REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE NOT TO BLAME

“Many of us want to speak up, but we don’t,” says Lyvonne Picou, aka Proverbs, a preacher, poet and social entrepreneur who lives in Oakland. Her online platform, beautiful scars (weresurthrivors .com), provides a community for Black women who are survivors of male sexual violence. She notes that when women see how other survivors are treated, it causes them to remain silent. “Often people blame the victim,” says Picou. “So first realize that what happened to you was wrong, and it wasn’t your fault.”

GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO GET BETTER