
Edward Crawford Jr. Tried to Protect Children in Ferguson. We Should Remember His Story.
Remembering Edward Crawford Jr., Darren Seals, and the Ferguson protesters whose lives and deaths deserve more than silence.
There is a photograph from the Ferguson protests that many people remember, even if they do not reme [...]

Janet Jackson’s Control: The 1986 Album That Taught Young Women to Expect Respect
Before we had today's language for boundaries, emotional labor, and relationship expectations, Janet Jackson was singing about them.
In 1986, Janet Jackson released Control, an album that gave young women something worth list [...]
Why Are Women Expected to Compromise Their Safety?
Mistreatment can teach us the wrong lessons. It can teach women to question our instincts, ignore our discomfort, and mistake surrendering our boundaries for kindness, fairness, or compassion.
For example, a woman may say, "I [...]
I Don’t Have to Explain the Boundaries That Keep Me Safe
SurvivorAffirmations.com | Inspired by WeSurviveAbuse.com
You’ve explained enough.
Why you stayed. Why you left.Why you didn’t speak sooner. Why you did.Why you flinched. Why you disappeared. Why you blocked them.
Now they wa [...]
Are You Still Protecting People Who Never Protected You? 5 Powerful Questions to Break the Cycle
These affirmations are written with tenderness, truth, and a deep honoring of those who carry the ache of being raised by parents who did not do their best—not because they couldn’t, but because they wouldn’t. These are for the [...]

Grief Comes Back Again and Again. So Can Love.
How remembrance, music, and personal tributes can help us live with loss
There is something especially beautiful about the hip-hop classic They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) by Pete Rock & CL Smooth. Released in 1992, the [...]
Inspired by Gil Scott-Heron: 10 Affirmations on Deserving Respect for Survivors
Gil Scott-Heron: A Man Who Understood That Respect Begins With Recognizing Humanity
Gil Scott-Heron (1949–2011) was an American poet, musician, author, and social commentator who understood that respect was about far more than [...]

Behind the Wall by Tracy Chapman: When a Woman’s Cries for Help Are Heard, but Help Never Comes
Some songs stay with us because they are beautiful. Others stay with us because they tell a truth that society has spent generations trying not to hear.
In 1988, Tracy Chapman released a song called “Behind the Wall” on her s [...]

Before “I Am Woman” Became an Anthem, Women Were Fighting to Be Heard: The Story Behind Helen Reddy’s Song
The history behind Helen Reddy's 1972 anthem, the rights women were fighting for, and what her story can teach Survivors about independence, solidarity, and finding their voices.
In 1972, Australian singer Helen Reddy release [...]
Who Did You Have to Become to Survive? A Gentle Introduction to Jungian Self-Reflection for Survivors
Exploring the parts of ourselves we learned to hide, the roles we learned to play, and the freedom to discover who we are today.
Sometimes we become so accustomed to being a certain kind of person that we forget we had other [...]
🎃 Black Sitcom Halloween Episodes: The Ultimate Watchlist for a Cozy Night In or a Watch Party With Friends
From Martin and Living Single to Girlfriends, Family Matters, Abbott Elementary, and more.
There is something special about revisiting the television shows that made us laugh growing up. The familiar theme songs, the characte [...]

Because They Refused Jim Crow, We Walk Through Different Doors
October 7, 1955: Ella Fitzgerald Arrested After Performing Before an Integrated Audience in Houston
We live inside freedoms that somebody else had to be brave enough to imagine. I am grateful for the people who challenged Jim C [...]

10 Surprising Lessons for Survivors from Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive
When most of us hear Gloria Gaynor sing “I Will Survive,” we hear certainty.
We hear a woman who has figured something out. She sounds like she knows where the door is, knows she deserves better and knows she can live without [...]

10 Lessons from The Forever Tree for Black Women, Girls, and Survivors Who Have Learned to Play Small
There is something quietly radical about The Forever Tree.
Tawny Bennett, played by Olivia Washington, is a young Black woman living during the Harlem Renaissance. She is intelligent, knowledgeable and working as an antiquari [...]
10 Lessons for Survivors from Sandy “Pepa” Denton’s Let’s Talk About Pep
Sandy “Pepa” Denton is known to millions as one of the women who helped change hip-hop. But Let’s Talk About Pep tells another story underneath the records, performances, fame, laughter, relationships and celebrity encounters. D [...]

Tammi Terrell’s Story Reminds Us That Survival Is More Than Staying Alive
When people speak about Tammi Terrell, they often begin with how young she was when she died.
Twenty-four.
They talk about the brain tumor. The interrupted career. The songs she never got to record. The future that was cut sho [...]

7 Reasons Survivors May Want to Read Taraji P. Henson’s Around the Way Girl
Sometimes the books that stay with Survivors aren't the ones written specifically about surviving.
Sometimes they are simply somebody telling the truth about her life.
Taraji P. Henson's memoir, Around the Way Girl, was pu [...]

Angie Stone, Roberta Flack & Gwen McCrae: The Power of Their Musical Legacy
Angie Stone’s Music Pulled Us Through—And Now, She’s Gone.
Angie Stone has passed, and somehow, it still doesn’t feel real.
During one of my lowest valleys, her music became my guide, my comfort, my reassurance that I [...]

The Wishing Tree With Alfre Woodard: A Beautiful Movie About Finding Your Way Home + Full Movie
Sometimes you want a movie that doesn't demand everything from you.
Something you can put on while folding clothes, answering emails, working on a project, cooking dinner, or finally dealing with that pile of papers that has [...]

How Singing is Surprisingly Good for Your Health
There's a vocal teacher on Youtube that I love, and I wanted to share her with you. Kristel Cherelle's approach reminds me of our choir teachers back in school who had faith in our ability to sing if only we understood technique [...]
AFFIRMATIONS AND SELF LOVE
PBS Newshour: A Brief But Spectacular take on living like we’re dying
To love deeply is to live joyfully.
[...]
HEALING JOURNEY
Finding Freedom Through Movement: How Dance Becomes a Healing Journey from Abuse 💃✨
So, the fabulous Eartha Kitt was a triple threat. Dancer, singer, and actor. She was also a Survivor.
By every reasonable understanding of the word, [...]
🌿 Affirmation Post: “I Am Becoming Who I Needed”
A sacred declaration for Survivors stepping into their wholeness.
I am no longer trying to return to who I was before the harm.She didn’t have [...]
🌿 Dear Woman Who is Letting Herself Rest Without Earning It
The way you pause—half ready to sit down, half ready to keep moving,still listening for some unseen judge to tell you it’s okay to stop.
The guilt th [...]
The Power of Music: Candi Staton’s Anthem
This is one of my favorite songs from girlhood. I LOVE the tone in her voice and listen to her song catalog regularly. She is soulful.&nbs [...]
🌿 Dear Woman Who is Learning to Say No Without Explaining
I see the weight you carry when you even think about saying no.The hesitation.The catch in your breath.The flood of reasons rising in your chest, read [...]
You Didn’t Ask to Be the Mirror
✦ [SurvivorAffirmations.com] ✦
Dear Survivor,
You didn’t ask to be the mirror.But here you are—living, healing, choosing joy.And without even tryi [...]
CONFIDENCE/POWER/RESILIENCE

This Is Why I Study Our Art — Deeply, Tenderly, Proudly
There comes a time when I grow beyond saying:
“That’s just old.”
“Just something from back then.”
“Just music, just fashion, just dancing.”
No.
O [...]
The Sacred Right to Be Unapologetic
They raised us on a steady diet of sorry.
Sorry for being too loud.Sorry for taking up space.Sorry for saying no.Sorry for wanting more.Sorry for not [...]

You Have Every Right to Be Beautifully Represented
✦ [SurvivorAffirmations.com] ✦
Dear Survivor,
You have every right to speak your mind about how you are represented.
Your story.Your image.Your s [...]
Hajia Gambo Sawaba: She Did Not Wait to Be Allowed
(You should see how elated I am! This series is going to give me those laugh lines we are supposed to hate.)
There are women who were toldto stay sma [...]
HEALTHING JOURNEY
The Case Against Full-Time “Nice”
Inauthenticity: Being nice all the time can lead to a lack of authenticity in your interactions. Suppressing your true thoughts and f [...]
Seven Things Highly Sensitive People Must Guard Against
People who are highly sensitive (sometimes called HSPs—Highly Sensitive Persons) carry gifts—empathy, intuition, creativity, deep listening—but those [...]
Finding Freedom Through Movement: How Dance Becomes a Healing Journey from Abuse 💃✨
So, the fabulous Eartha Kitt was a triple threat. Dancer, singer, and actor. She was also a Survivor.
By every reasonable understanding of the word, [...]
She Is AMAZING
Artist Jossie Harris Thacker: Building On Where You Come From — Without Going To War With It
Some of us were taught that “healing” means disowning everything that shaped us.
The accent.The neighborhood.The elders.The songs.The faith.The grit. [...]
7 Reasons Survivors May Want to Read Taraji P. Henson’s Around the Way Girl
Sometimes the books that stay with Survivors aren't the ones written specifically about surviving.
Sometimes they are simply somebody telling the t [...]
The Power of Music: Candi Staton’s Anthem
This is one of my favorite songs from girlhood. I LOVE the tone in her voice and listen to her song catalog regularly. She is soulful.&nbs [...]
Affirming Television Moments: When the Women Tore Down the Wall
First, giving gratitude to Oprah because this type of programming was very uncommon back in 1989. When you wanted to see television films like this, y [...]
💌 Dear Strong Black Girl
Who had to grow up before she was ready.
You were praised for how grown you acted.For how well you held things together.For how much you helped, how [...]
Survivor Affirmations Inspired by The Joy Luck Club (with audio book)
There’s something sacred about The Joy Luck Club.Not just the story—but the witnessing. The layering. The quiet truths that refuse to stay buried.
Le [...]
ART HEALS
10 Inspiring Quotes from Survivor Queen Latifah
The extraordinary and deeply gifted Queen Latifah has always been intentional about protecting her private life. That boundary deserves respec [...]
The Healing Hum: A Sound Our Bodies Remember
Before we had language for healing…Before we knew the words nervous system or self-regulation…Many of us grew up in homes where someone hummed us th [...]
10 Lessons for Survivors from Sandy “Pepa” Denton’s Let’s Talk About Pep
Sandy “Pepa” Denton is known to millions as one of the women who helped change hip-hop. But Let’s Talk About Pep tells another story underneath the re [...]
JOURNALING/WRITING IN A HEALTHIER WORLD
WE Survive Abuse Podcast
















