Some truths don’t disappear—they’re buried. Buried under red tape, hidden behind bureaucracy, and silenced by those in power. In this episode of The Last Generation, host Donna Simmons—survivor of child marriage—uncovers shocking evidence that at least fifteen Kentucky counties have violated the state’s 2018 child marriage law.
Through investigative digging and hard-won public records, Donna exposes how children are still being signed into marriages that never should have been legal. But this isn’t just about laws. It’s personal. Donna shares her own story of being forced out of school in 10th grade, and reflects on her mother’s life as a child bride married to a soldier after only completing 10th grade herself. Together, their stories reveal how child marriage writes poverty and trauma into family legacies, generation after generation.
This episode isn’t theory—it’s truth. And it’s a call to action. Because when officials bury records, when silence protects predators, children pay the price.
Stay until the end for an exclusive clip from Donna’s memoir, Ashes to Flame, and hear why this fight is about more than statistics—it’s about survival, legacy, and breaking cycles once and for all.
Listen now to uncover what Kentucky officials tried to keep hidden—and why the silence must end here.

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