I Believe in Stop the Silence

Published December 01, 2008 @ 06:32PM PT

I strongly aspired to become the spokesperson for Stop the Silence. I am currently working on refining information for Stop the Silence to be able to provide to future volunteers.  In addition, I participated in the Pepsi Race to Stop the Silence in April 2008 and the November 19th 24-hour Global Virtual Advocacy Marathon. I have goals of planning a large fundraiser, consisting of a survivor's dinner/banquet, where awareness and Stop the Silence will be promoted, and I will be participating in the Maryland Community Program Educating about child sexual abuse. I have been promoting Stop the Silence locally; I am now ready to take it to a national level.  As a Maryland International pageant queen and advocate of sexual abuse, I’ve dedicated most of my life to promoting awareness.  But that’s not such an easy thing to do alone. I know this firsthand.

After being violated by a well-trusted pastor and family member starting at the age of 14, I battled suicidal thoughts and attempts, low self-esteem and depression. Facing a seemingly lifetime of emotional scars, I left home at the age of 16, which is when the abuse ended. While residing with my father, I finally broke my silence at the age of 18, only to find sorrow again after my mother disbelieved my story. Even though my abuser is still a pastor to this day, I desire to use myself as an example, encouraging others that a victim can be successful after a past catastrophe.            

My Stop the Silence volunteer experiences have changed my life. I have been able to speak with and help so many victims. I have been able to encourage victims who once contemplated suicide, offer concrete persons or numbers to victims who had no idea who to turn to and I personally have been able to heal in the process of helping so many. I came away with a conviction after assisting Maryland residents and victims: we need Stop the Silence in EVERY community!  Stop the Silence programs can do so much for suffering victims.I truly believe in the work that Stop the Silence does and the positive impact its program has on abuse victims and their entire families. Stop the Silence is dedicated to helping these families find some relief… to help them feel less isolated… to improve their quality of life during and after very difficult times.   

Stop the Silence uses community education, the annual marathon and fundraisers to help heal the pain of victims of child sexual abuse, help them better understand and manage their feelings and outcomes, and connect families facing similar challenges so that no one is uneducated about such a serious issue and crime.

I am extremely thankful to Ms. Pamela Pine for affording me this opportunity and I am proud to be the spokesperson of an organization doing so much to help so many victims and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation.   

For Stop the Silence,

LaQuisha Tisdal Hall
Mrs. Owings Mills International 2009