Coming from Pagan Writers Press on March 8, 2013!
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Wednesday, March 27, 2013
The Truth is Love Overdue: Morgan Summerfield Talks about Domestic Abuse
The story of Adella is inspired by a real woman. As a product of the beliefs of her time, she was dealing with prejudice on two levels—she was female and of Native American descent. As if that wasn’t enough to handle, she grew up in domestic violence and it chased her into adult life. Almost 100 years after her birth the pain, despair, and devastation of domestic violence still exists. Statistics indicate that 1 in every 4 women will experience some sort of domestic violence in her lifetime. Domestic violence is not limited to women. Men can also be victims. Unfortunately, the stigma associated with reporting any kind of abuse limits accurate statistics. Domestic violence, just as rape, is an under reported crime.
The story Adella, is a tribute to her refusal to accept her situation as hopeless and her finding the courage to remove herself and all her children from it. In those days, this was no small thing. As a Catholic divorce was a sin, being a single mother set tongues wagging, and raising children was not easy when the only jobs one could get were waiting tables, babysitting, or cleaning—all of which she often did 18 hours a day. She was one of many women of her time who set in motion the changes that have brought us to a place of more choice.
For centuries women have been treated as secondary, lesser, flawed, of no value beyond that given them by the men in a society. When one looks back through existing written history, one finds women sorely missing. Many of those who did find their way into history were representative of the male perspective. They are often portrayed as seductive, treacherous, or evil. I hope this anthology is the first of many compilations telling the stories of real women throughout the ages. The truth is long overdue.
Celebrate Women’s History Month by bringing forward a story from your family or the story of a woman from that past. Tell the story to someone. Raise the level of awareness to the fact that women, as individuals or as groups, can and have effected change. A kindness, a smile, a hug, even these things can, in a moment, change a life. As you celebrate Women’s History Month celebrate yourself as well. Every day you have the power to make change.
If you would like to learn more about domestic violence, look for my next posting in May.
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Morgan Summerfield grew up an avid reader and by her teens was a hobby writer. As an adult she has been a teacher, a technical writer, an instructional designer, a consultant, and a freelance writer. Her recently published first novel, Blood and Magnolias, was a dream fulfilled. In a recent contest, the characters in Blood and Magnolias were given a 5 out of 5 rating. When she is passionate about something, it shows. Beyond her writing, Morgan is a painter and works with a domestic violence shelter and education council.
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Strong women in such tough situations. Domestic Abuse is such a difficult subject, but one that needs the light shined on it. Excellent post, and look forward to reading this. Thanks for sharing about this very strong and inspiring woman!
ReplyDeleteWe had a family story about domestic violence. Mom told it one way; Dad another. One thing they both agreed on. She came up off the bed and punched him in the jaw. And broke a tooth. He had to explain that to the dentist. He never raised his hand to her again. I took that as a life lesson. And you know I believed my mother.
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