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In the wake of national conversations about sexual assault, prominent Black voices in media and news have been coming forward to tell their stories.
Ever since Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh was accused of sexual assault by his former classmate Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, people have been debating why survivors of sexual assault don’t always report it and why they may wait longer to talk about what happened to them— as seen in this clip with New York Times columnist Charles Blow
Black Lives Matter Activist and influencer Deray McKesson opened up on Twitter, saying that a family associate sexually abused him when he was only seven years old and he thought he would never be believed if he spoke up.
MSNBC Political Analyst Zerlina Maxwell, who has previously discussed being a survivor of rape, tweeted:
“To be clear, if my rapist is ever up for a lifetime appointment or becomes some famous person, I’m telling y’all his name.”
Like Kavanaugh, it looks a lot like he hurt people in the past and thought the women wouldn’t get brave. He was wrong.
CNN Commentator Symone Sanders also shared her powerful story in a recent panel about the hearings.
According to a 2010 Bureau of Justice Statistics study, most rapes are not reported to the police. Often survivors know their rapists and the relationship prevents them from sharing.
Other factors include fear of backlash or fear that they won’t be believed.
The courage of these media personalities to share their stories has inspired positive responses from many of their followers and can hopefully inspire progress and better understanding that sexual assault survivors deserve to be heard.