Introducing “Her Voice in the Darkness”
There were several factors that brought “Her Voice in the Darkness” into existence, however, let me first share what we are setting out to do. Our desire is to offer hope and healing for women on a journey toward greater mental and emotional health. As women, we often feel the weight of attempting to live up to the social norms placed on us to be all things to all people. Over time this weight takes a toll on a woman’s mental and emotional health. Yes, women have been carrying this burden for generations, however, it is time for us to understand that we are not alone in this journey we call life. This decline in mental and emotional health sets in motion a slow retreat inward with feelings of not living up to what is expected as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, employee, and friend. This forces us to lose genuine connection with other women, which causes a greater decline in mental and emotional health as we attempt to continue to keep all the plates spinning without missing a beat. Queue the feeling of not being good enough and you have a perfect storm for a woman to suffer mentally and emotionally under unspoken social norms.
Our mission is to bring restoration through hope and healing for women on a journey toward greater mental and emotional health through awareness, advocacy, education, and resources.
- We will bring awareness of the mental and emotional issues forcing women to isolate and suffer in silence.
- We will advocate for acknowledgment and awareness of the unspoken social norms that often cause a decline in women’s mental and emotional health.
- We will offer education for ALL individuals within the communities we serve to better address the issues women are facing.
- We will partner with other organizations to create viable resources for women to assist them in addressing the issues affecting their mental and emotional health.
“Her Voice in the Darkness” is currently focusing on two initiatives. The first initiative will focus on bringing greater awareness of psychological abuse, which includes both verbal and emotional abuse. Our society tends to think ‘physical’ when abuse is mentioned. Physical, being something seen like a black eye, broken arm, or bruises, speaks loudly when it comes to abuse. With this focus on what can be seen, we are not addressing what cannot be seen. Verbal and emotional abuse have a profound effect on an individual. Psychological abuse is thought to cause more damage than physical abuse because it destroys the very core of an individual: their psyche (soul). We will discuss psychological abuse in greater detail in future blogs.
The second initiative will focus on providing life skills for young girls. A summer day camp known as “Authentically Me!!” will provide opportunities for young ladies ages eleven to eighteen to learn valuable life skills. They will be empowered to live unapologetically authentic lives while embracing their imperfections and finding unshakable peace within. Most young ladies come out of childhood feeling ‘not-good-enough,’ which causes them to become involved in unhealthy lifestyles and relationships. Additionally, our society places many spoken and unspoken social norms on females at a very young age, leaving them feeling alone under the pressure to live up to these antiquated standards.
You may be wondering, why “Her Voice in the Darkness?” The answer is twofold. First, the passion to rescue women from suffering in silence was birthed out of the personal experience our founder, Rita, lived and breathed in her marriage. Rita suffered verbal and emotional abuse behind closed doors from her husband. Being in the church added to the forced silence disguised as submission when Rita reached out to leadership for help. Rita’s plea for help to address her husband’s abuse was met with deaf ears. The unwillingness of the senior pastor to hold this church leader accountable for his abuse only forced Rita to stay silent while continuing to experience abuse. After seven years in this marriage, Rita found the courage to break the silence. It became her passion to be the voice for those not yet able to speak of the abuse they are enduring.
The second reason is that while in private practice as a mental health therapist, Rita witnessed how social norms force women to isolate and struggle mentally and emotionally in silence. Rita works primarily with female clients who often come through childhood with a feeling of not being good enough. Most are unable to be an authentic version of themselves, which leads them toward unhealthy decisions due to a lack of self-esteem and confidence. For women in a church environment, this forced silence can be disguised as submission. As Rita has experienced, some churches will not address the issues affecting the women in their congregation. Thus, “Her Voice in the Darkness” was created to be a voice to those of us who have been silenced, are experiencing a decline in our mental and emotional health, and are feeling alone on our life’s journey.
We are unique because we are willing to fight the tough fight of bringing greater awareness and advocating for genuine change. “Her Voice in the Darkness” is dedicated to all the women whose voices have been silenced under unspoken social norms and within the church culture disguised as submission. It is our passion that all women reclaim our voices so that generations to come will not endure a decline in mental and emotional health.
“Her Voice in the Darkness” is a community outreach 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and we need every individual, family, and business to join us in breaking the silence so that women no longer feel they must suffer in silence.
THE END BEGINS WITH US!