Greetings, I am honored to introduce the world to Debra LeSane, my new hero, a strong powerful black mother who chose to support her daughters who were victimized by sexual violence.

Those of us victimized, wanted and needed a Debra in our lives.  She is the mother so many of us craved and want to be.  

From Debra, we can find our voice to rise up, show up, and when necessary show out as we protect our children and each other. 

On top of all this Debra is a poet.   Lordy, lordy this woman can write.  Her words are so  damn powerful 

Check her out on Instagram - Buried Secret Society
Her book of poems  
The Buried Secret Society Volume 1 (she is working on Volume 2)
www.DebraLesane.com
Cash App $debralesane  
$25 includes shipping
Email:  [email protected]

Greetings
This is a very special podcast interview as I introduce you to Carmen a 39 year old mom of two who is the living breathing testimony of phenomenal and gracious woman who chose not to survive but thrive

At the young age of 4-6 years old she was raped repeatedly by an older cousin.  She described herself at that young age as a Chatty Cathy, instinctively she  knew what he did to her was wrong, but she remained silent.   

In the 9th and 10th grade she was engulfed in a crippling depression, which left her  unable to function at school. Unaware what was wrong her parents took her to a doctor who misdiagnosed her as bi-polar.  Throughout her teens and 20's she battled depression and manic episodes of anger and rage.

In 2012, in a manic episode she finally told her parents what happened and was institutionalized.

She battled back and today she is thriving and raising two successful children, and willing to share her journey of struggle, healing, and thriving in the hopes of helping others.

She never saw herself as a victim didn't want to be defined as a survivor, she wanted more, and she achieved it 

Greetings All,

I am proud to introduce this groundbreaking five part episode series

Three grown black women share their Journeys -  struggles, healing, and thriving
Each cast off the labels of being a victim they chose not to be a survivor but be victorious 

This is the first podcast; 2nd Carmen will share her journey raped repeatedly as a 4-6 year old; 3rd Debra’s daughters were raped close to 20 years later they tell Debra she does the “unthinkable “ she called the police demanded her daughters’ predator be arrested; 4th the three of us talk as only black women can open, honest, and sometimes laughing; and 5th discuss on what can we all do and invitation to all to join a movement we are building 

Be safe and healthy
Theresa

This is our last podcast for 2020
What an amazing 10 months publishing our podcasts
We have learned a great deal and beyond proud and honored for all of you who listened to us

We start off again in January 8, 2021 with an amazing series 

2020 has been an horrific year filled with challenges none of us could imagine

There are thousands of lives lost and thousands even millions battling or battled this awful virus

For all of you we wish you well 

The vaccine is now here but will be months off for the majority of us to receive

In the meantime remain strong, celebrate and honor the lives lost and those still struggling, and find a way to enjoy the holiday season

theresa

Welcome to the third Soul Wound episode focusing on healthcare issues for ages 19-45
The lessons we learned as children - silence,  how to control our bowels, body dysmorphia, consuming drugs and alcohol to numb our pain and shame is now minimum of 5  to 30 years of damaging  habits/behaviors.

The episode discusses the economic and healthcare costs associated to those victimized by sexual violence, her/his family, communities, and future generations

Greetings, this is the 2nd episode addressing Soul Wounds, discussing the slow systemic racism against children of color and how it impacts the healthcare or lack of, the child, it’s family, it’s community, and future generations.  This podcast is discussing the health consequences and potential interventions to address  unresolved childhood sexual trauma  - prenatal  to age 10 and from ages 11-18

Why began at prenatal, far too many babies are born with limited prenatal care, they suffer from low birthweight, suffer from Fetal Alcohol Symptoms, or born substance dependent on the drugs their mother consumed while pregnant.  If their parents can afford insurance this county’s health care disparities are now event to the world to see as more black, brown, and Native Americans are dying of COVID-19.  To put it politely, at birth they are behind the eight bill and will take years, if ever, to recover.  This will impact their ability to learn, attend school, and have the ability to just be a kid

Far too often, mandatory reporter and others in authority perceive children of color and marginalized children as young as 5 years old as harden, not needing nurturing, and over sexualized.  This is a failure on their part of not understanding, children like myself, we learn early, some by age of 3, crying is not going to bring someone. To hug and wipe away our tears  and we learn to deal with pain and sadly we know we are alone, that no adult is going to save us.

Let’s never forget two mind numbing statistics - the average of  young black and brown girls forced into human trafficking is 12 years old, a 6th grader; and 3.3 million women ages 18-44 in the US reported their first sexual experience was by some form of rape - the average age of the girls was 15, a freshman or sophomore in high school, and the man was 27.  

3.3 million is larger than total population of Chicago and at least 12% will become suicidal and 75-80% will develop some form of PTSD.


The 2012 Pulitzer Prize winner, Junior Diaz, write in a April 9, 2018 essay The Silence: The Legacy of Childhood Trauma, published in the Nee Yorker the impressive first person account of what we experienced prior to and post being raped as a child and how it impacts every part of your life for years.  We spend more of lives hiding from the shame of being raped than learning how to live and enjoy life

I hope you continue to enjoy this series

Be safe and remain healthy 
Theresa 
 


 

Welcome to our new 5 part series called Soul Wounds, a Native American term used to address and historic trauma to the body, mind, and spirit

When we think of a wound it’s a small bump or a small scar on your  body 
But when discussing childhood sexual violence and or rape each time a personis  violated or  called outside their name the initial wound opens us, expanding over time into a festering oozing pus linking into our bloodstream. poisoning our minds with self doubt, driving many to numb their pain and shame by consuming drugs and alcohol.

The 5 episodes include Introduction, Healthcare, Mental Health, Societal (family, communities, and future generations), and Incarnation 

To address means to improve lives and develop methods to support those victimized we break each episode into age groups, why because it allows us to see how we can intervene, the struggles folks endured, and means for individuals and mandatory reporting agencies can become supportive and break their perceptions of folks of color

Hope you enjoy this series

Stay safe and healthy
Theresa

Examine two powerful organizations - Boy Scouts of America ( BSA)  and USA Gymnastics - on the world stage each are power houses, financial organizations, and recognized worldwide 

Yet, each held a dark silent secret - sexual predator(s) that preyed on young boys and girls for generations 

The BSA demonstrates the intersection of power, race, gender, and finance. It talks about the role of powerful legal teams seeking men who were sexually violated as Boy Scouts in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970, during the time when Boy Scouts was primarily white.  Compared that to a black young man I worked with who says in this country folks are more concerned about dogs locked in cages than boys who look like him

The first time a young girl reported Dr Larry Nassar sexually violated her was 1997 but it took until 2015 for Michigan State to quietly release him.  He is now locked up and we can celebrate Judge Rosemarie Aquilina and all the young women who stood up and spoke out

This man sexually violated hundreds of girls but the machinery of the USA Gymnastics, Olympics, Michigan State and the training camps, and trainers ignored what was happening.  They chose to remain silent  why - these small powerful titans generated dollars and future clients 

The young women were viewed as Revenue Producing Units ( RPUs) but folks in power failed to understand they knew their value and power
The young women did the unthinkable, some said NO to the financial payments 
They are using their power their voices to demand accountability