This is not what I planned to be doing. At fifty years old, I have a meaningful career where I feel like I make a difference in my community. I have raised three children to young adulthood. I am happy to spend my hours walking on the beach, watching rom-coms, shopping at the mall, eating ice cream at our local stand, or cuddling with my cats. In other words, I’m a pretty normal American mom.
But that’s the important thing. My life and my choices are defined by being a mom, and so when my teenage daughter told me that she had been the victim of a horrifying sexual assault, my world changed forever. As I entered a labyrinth of PTSD with her, we realized, together, that the only way forward for us both was to find an outlet for our pain. Out of all that sadness, anger and trauma grew this project of Survivors to Superheroes. The name itself reflected my own greatest hope–that my daughter would eventually be able to transform herself from a victim to a survivor and then to a superhero.
That dream has become a reality. Just as the superheroes of comic books and movies often have back stories of suffering and persecution, my daughter has emerged from her own suffering to be a champion for other young victims everywhere. As we began to seek out collaborators, we realized that the number of young people who have been the victims of sexual violence is literally too large to count. If we add in their loved ones–parents, siblings, friends–then it is virtually every person in the US and Canada.
There are lots of ways to heal, and lots of ways to advocate for victims. We are not the only organization doing this work. But we are uniquely focused on the experiences and recovery of teen and young adult victims and their loved ones. Our permanent website pages are designed to provide resources and support. Each week we will also be offering articles, written by our board and staff, with our ongoing thoughts and information. Some of these will be our personal reflections, while others will serve as additional resources for survivors. Watch our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for notifications of new articles..
Writing our stories has helped all of our board and staff members to heal. We hope that reading them will be helpful to you as well. As you travel your own path of recovery, you may find that you would like to write and share your own story. If you are an artist, you may already be using your art to help you cope with your trauma. Watch in the coming weeks and months for opportunities to share and publish your stories here at Survivors to Superheroes. One of our main goals is to give you a voice.
I started by saying that being a mom has informed everything I do. At some point I realized that being a mom means I care about the children of other moms and not just my own. Moms need to stick together to watch out for all of our children. This work is my commitment to do just that.
My name is Jamie, and I live in Westchester County, NY, where I have worked as a Cantor and Jewish Educator for 20 years. I have a PhD in French Literature, a BA in Psychology and Human Development, a Certificate in Congregational Education, and have taught children from ages 2 to18, as well as college students in language and literature, and adult learners on parenting and religion. I am a long term member of our community’s Interfaith Clergy Council and serve on my town’s Prison Relations Advisory Committee, which brings community support to the women’s prisons housed in our town. I am also the mother to three young adults and a grandmother to two young children. In 2014, my 15 year old daughter was the victim of a violent sexual crime that left her deeply traumatized and me desperate to learn whatever I could that would help me parent her through that trauma. Resources specific to young survivors and their loved ones were scarce. In joining with her to found and lead Survivors to Superheroes, I have hoped to provide for others what I was seeking myself. When I am not working on Survivors, I love to spend time reading, writing, baking, learning new languages, and enjoying the many trails through the woods around my home. I’m also exploring new and creative spiritual practices, merging Jewish tradition, music, mindfulness, silence, and prayer.