Rock and Roll Saved My Soul

It’s National Domestic Violence Awareness Month! Don’t stay silent. It’s time to speak up all month long. October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which first began in 1981 by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence as a Day of Unity to connect battered women’s advocates across the country. Domestic violence affects millions, both women and men, of every race, religion, culture and status. It’s not just punches and black eyes -- it’s yelling, humiliation, stalking, manipulation, coercion, threats and isolation. It’s stealing a paycheck, keeping tabs online, non-stop texting, constant use the silent treatment, or calling someone stupid so often they believe it. Since the Violence Against Women Act passed in 1994, we’ve come a long way. This landmark legislation, led by then Senator Joe Biden, combined new provisions that hold offenders accountable and provide programs and services for victims. Between 1993 and 2010, the overall rate of domestic v...

Karma  by Anonymous  I watched my mom be abused for many years—seventeen to be exact, so you would think I could spot the signs ten miles away, but I was wrong. I met him April 15 th , 2007. It was like those story book moments where you’re with a friend but connect with someone on such a higher level. We talked for hours, had a couple drinks, and I forced myself to go home. All I could think about was him. His eyes. His smile. And oh, the way his lips tasted when he kissed me good night. Three minutes is all it took—three minutes to steal my heart and three minutes to begin the worst nine years of my life. The abuse started June 21st, 2007. He called me a dumbass because he wanted to be single for his 21st birthday. Now mind you I had moved me and my son who was just over the age of one into his tiny apartment because he wanted me around all the time (that’s the first sign, control). Fast forward a year. I stopped contact with him for about eight months. I...