Sara’s 1-Year Employee Anniversary Reflections
One year ago, I was sitting in the back of a courtroom watching the trial of Jane Doe vs. Zia Sheikh unfold. The first court case that Facing Abuse in Community Environments (FACE) testified during also happened to be my second day of work there.
As I reflect back to that day, I can’t help but think of the most bitter pill I’ve had to swallow, which is that our religious and community leaders are not always who we think they are. A good portion of them are abusers or enablers. Another chunk of them stop short of seeking justice because it threatens to jeopardize their reputation, instead handing off the job and washing their hands of all responsibility. Almost all of the rest ridicule victims or those who make a sincere attempt to confront abusive leaders, disagreeing with the methods but doing absolutely nothing to address the very real problem. Very few leaders publicly - or privately - acknowledge the existence of clergy abuse, and their voices are drowned out by those who remain hauntingly silent.
This is where the community comes in. Where I’ve been moved over and over by the strength of survivors. Of ordinary community members. Of women and men. Of people who are so principled about what it means to cross the boundary of an abuse of power. And of people who are loudest in their community spaces and don’t stop being loud until they are heard. People like this move mountains. And when people like this come together and say “enough is enough,” they cause the earth to tremble. There is power in numbers, in grassroots organizing, and in our voices, especially when the fear of jeopardizing reputations isn’t prioritized over the safety of the collective.
There is so much happening in the world, along with the most egregious abuses of powerful people being exposed. While it is easy to throw our hands up in despair, it is crucial now more than ever to build upon the strength that comes with enough loud voices. That maybe one day, we can collectively cause the ground beneath us to tremble so powerfully that we rid our communities, governments, and sacred spaces of all those who have attempted to rot them from the inside out. May we live to see a time where safety is afforded to all, and not just a select few.