January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. This year, we wanted to use this opportunity to amplify the words of the survivors we serve—to invite them to do the educating. We offered the prompt “What I need you to know is…” and invited survivors we’re walking alongside to respond with letters to the general public.
Throughout January, we’ll be publishing these letters in a blog series called “Letters from Survivors”—they are directly from survivors in the REST community—to you.
We did a little spelling/grammar editing to ensure the clarity of the message. We did not edit phrasing or content in order to keep their real, raw words.
This one is from Tabitha, a survivor who graduated from the REST House, is now on staff at REST, and has been out of the life for over three years now. This is what she wants you to know:
To whom needs to hear this:
Tabita Clifford giving her keynote speech at A Night of REST 2019.
What should you know? You should know that I am not the only one. You should know I am not just a “them” I am a “me”. That you don’t need to censor yourself or tiptoe around my feelings. You need to know that you don’t need permission to enjoy life around me. I want to hear about your losses and your wins. I don’t need you to tokenize me or constantly praise my existence. I am not my trauma just like you are not your hardships. We may not have lived the same life, but you have had your battles too.
I want you to know I am an expert in survival but that does not make me an expert at life. I need you to know that I am not sorry for what has happened to me and I don’t want you to be either. Everything happens for a reason, right? I need you to hear me, I need you to really let what I’m about to say sink in. You reading this letter, was not a coincidence. I know I am not a victim, I know I am a survivor, I know I am so loved.
What do I REALLY think YOU should know?
You are not a victim of your past experiences or mistakes, you are a survivor of one thing or another and you are oh so loved too.
Sincerely,
YOUR ally