"A Voice for the Voiceless"
By Marie Thelusma-Chase,
(Executive Director, Shiloh CDC)
I grew up in a household where my Haitian immigrant parents were not equipped with the necessary tools to protect us from child abuse and neglect. By the age of 7, we immigrated to the US and lived in Brooklyn, New York.
By the age of 9, I was the babysitter in charge of caring for my infant brother. At age 11, I was responsible for picking him up from school (several miles from home), preparing dinner, and other household chores. Although these responsibilities allowed me to be who I am today, it was unacceptable to play with toys and I was often beaten for not following the rules. So, my siblings and I really did not have a childhood. What's more, all the signs of sexual abuse by the hands of other relatives were present but ignored.
Over the years, I've met women who were also ignored as their perpetrator(s) were never held accountable or prosecuted. More recently, I've talked to colleagues who have witnessed abuse and felt helpless to help either the parent or the child.
I know that my parents loved me and had they had the tools from church, we would have had a better childhood. At forty-something, I still hear my dad expressing regrets because he didn't know how to raise up healthy children.
In 2017, I Marie Thelusma-Chase, the Executive Director of Shiloh CDC, is making a pledge to give every client/member the tools via literature, family groups and just conversations with staff to prevent child abuse and neglect. We want to do our job as a community agency by, with our partners, doing the heavy lifting by creating a 'social network' for local families. We are the voice for the voiceless.
We are also partnering with Department of Children and Families for the strengthening family conference on Tuesday, 5/16/2017. This conference is open to the public with resource tables for community partners.
Here is how you can get involved:
- Sign the pledge for “Agency” or “Caring Adult”
- Register to attend the Strengthening Family Framework workshop for providers on 5/16/2017