Here and Now

Did I ever tell you that I was raped by two guys when I was eleven years old? See...it does get easier to say, but never easier to actually know, and feel. It is strange how the memories always come when I least expect them to. I will be having a perfectly fine day, and then WHAM, absolutely blindsided with the pain. Doing laundry, brushing my teeth, cooking dinner, and from out of nowhere it plays like a movie, or flashes like a photograph, and I am trapped once again. I think that it always surprises me that it doesn't go away. That they do not go away, and that my mind always has a way of making me remember. Now I have days of freedom, and I hope that those days will grow into weeks, months, years. I know that I will never forget, but I long for the memories to become cohesive, not bits and pieces that continue to creep out of the shadows of my mind. Yesterday was particularly hard, and I finally just lay down in a chair and fell asleep to escape. Dave asked me how I was a few t...

The Pure Maiden Stolen years believing that the loss alone somehow made me less. Kept clean, untouched. Never again in my little girl head could I be good, be pure, wear white. Mother Mary, full of grace, bow your head, and pray. Now we sell our virginity to pay for graduate school, a fancy car, perhaps a diamond ring. In ignorance, sold like a whore, to the highest bidder so the world can continue to believe that we are nothing. Angela Minard 2008©

I love Angela Shelton! I still cannot read the part in this interview, about the seventeen year old girl who committed suicide, without bursting into tears. Suffering in silence can be deadly. I highly recommend this book! This is an interview with Angela Shelton that I found on http://dosomething.org Angela is such an inspiration, so I thought that I would share. Do Something: You didn't start the Finding Angela Shelton journey thinking the main theme would be about abuse - your own and so many other Angelas' - did you? Angela Shelton: No. As I was traveling, I connected with the Angelas as victims of abuse and violence. I knew then that I had to talk about child abuse (in the film and book), especially sexual abuse, because it's an epidemic. Violence and abuse breeds silence, but the self abuse that often follows is totally silent. I see that a lot in teens. I see self-mutilation, substance addiction, sex and love addiction, all in an effort to fill the void. DS: This h...

~Today is Angela Shelton Day~ Report IT! We will all Report IT on the same day. The Report IT Campaign is a nationwide state-to-state rally to report sexual violence and abuse on the same day! It was created to raise awareness on the vast under-reporting of sexual assault including rape, incest, and abuse. ~April 29, 2008~ hailed Angela Shelton Day. People nationwide will show up at their local county courthouses on April 29th! Together we will break the silence and the cycle! You can fill out the online form anytime on or before April 29th. This IS NOT an official police report! Thank you for Reporting IT! Share where you'll be Reporting IT on Upcoming Events! Need to talk to someone? Free, confidential - 800-656-HOPE History of the Report IT campaign In Angela Shelton’s award-winning documentary “ Searching for Angela Shelton ”, she surveyed women in the US with her same name. As she began interviewing other Angela Sheltons, she found that 70% had been victims of rape, childho...

You're Not Alone

Every two minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted. One in six American women are victims of sexual assault, and one in 33 men. In 2005-2006, there were an average annual 232,010 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. About 44% of rape victims are under age 18, and 80% are under age 30. Rapes are still not being reported. The National Crime Victimization Survey includes statistics on reported and unreported crimes in America. Sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes, with more than half still being left unreported. Utilizing services such as The National Sexual Assault Hotline can help encourage victims to get help and report what has happened to them so that more perpetrators can be brought to justice. Silence Screams The night, she saves her silent screams for awakening children from their dreams Shivering through the empty streets Hiding fright in their shadows of crimson Comes the light to sleep the day away and beg the darkness to fade...