Today I found myself cring tears of joy in the bathroom at work, after watching Oprah's Golden Globes speech. These tears were celebrations of how amazing it is that we are in a time where some of the most influential people in the United States came together in solidarity for the women who are survivors of sexual, mental, and emotional abuse, who are represented by the #MeToo movement.How right it is that a black woman was on stage receiving a prestigious award and had the ability, the courage, the heart to give a speech speaking out against corruption, against violence, against privilege, for the whole world to see, and that she received a standing ovation and inspired tears of joy in those watching. The tide is changing, and it will continue to, because of amazing people who really do care to fight for, stand up for and speak out against injustice.
When I came back from the bathroom, still with this energy pulsing through me, one of my coworkers asked me what was going on. The women in the room are all a part of the project that works with women who have experienced domestic violence. A large part of this work is educating women that domestic violence is not okay, that they don’t deserve abuse, and that they have the right to report it. So I explained to them what has been happening with the #MeToo movement, and we had a wonderful conversation about the hope that at some point, through the work of Paz y Esperanza and other organizations and advocates, the women of Peru will have a voice, will be able to stand in solidarity with each other overcoming fear, with support from the world. Being involved in this work here, I’ve been able to broaden my understanding and perspectives of issues in the United Sates through learning about issues that are mirrored in Peru. Seeing this movement happening from the outside, from a different context has made me appreciate it in a different way. Before it would have been a celebration just for my own home, for the people of the United States, but now I’m able to see it as so much bigger. The issues that we learn about aren’t centralized, they don’t just affect one group of people. These issues have global impacts, and the healing of these issues also has global impact. And I’m able to discuss these ideas with my coworkers here, who have been teaching me so much more than they could know. They’ve been teaching me about the world, about what it means to be a fighter and an advocate for social justice, what it means to be in the trenches. And they’ve been helping me learn about myself. At the end of this conversation, one of my coworkers said to me, “Alyson, tú tienes un buen corazón” (“You have a good heart”). She explained that when I began to cry, she thought that it was about something personal, but instead it was about something much bigger, something that affected people that I don’t know personally, and that that shows the kind of heart that I have, the kind of person that I am. When she gave me this beautiful compliment, when she in that moment saw my soul, I couldn’t accept the compliment, I couldn’t spend just a moment appreciating this quality that I have. I thanked her, but behind that thank you I felt the need to show her that I’m not really that good, that I was experiencing personal benefits from the movement too. I responded by saying that it’s very important to me because it does affect people I know personally, because the women who I know and love who have experienced abuse are being shown solidarity, are being supported, are being inspired, and empowered. And this is true, I have been thinking about the women I know personally who are being lifted up by this movement, but also I do have a good heart, I do love and care for and celebrate the successes and the empowerment of people that I don’t know, and will never meet. And this is a beautiful thing, I am so thankful that I am this way, that I have this heart, that I am this person. And when people see me for who I am, I shouldn’t try to hide it, I shouldn’t shy away from it or feel like I can’t accept the compliment. I should appreciate who and how I am, and through that I will better appreciate and recognize the other people in the world. This is what I want to teach others, what I want to be cultivating: self-love, appreciation for beautiful and valuable qualities, appreciation for good hearts, the ability to love others better. I don’t want to teach timidity, shame, or self-depreciation. But this means that I have to overcome these qualities in myself, and try to help others overcome them as well. I want to teach people to value who they are, the qualities they have, and to not diminish their worth as a human. So many issues of the world exist because someone told someone else that they are worth less, that they deserve less. And too many people in this world believe it. When people learn to care for themselves, to appreciate themselves, and to stand up for what they deserve, what’s when movements like #MeToo happen. When we learn to appreciate ourselves is when we learn to find our voice, to use our voice. I’m still in the process of finding my voice, and I don’t want to keep it to myself. We were created to be in community, to work and live and love in community. I want to share my voice with everyone. I want to use my voice to speak out, to sing for, to scream for the people who haven’t been allowed to find theirs. I’m so thankful for the people who have been doing this throughout history, and for the amazing people in this time who are inspiring and making change with their voice. I have qualities and purposes that if I don’t appreciate, I won’t be able to use to their full potential, and won’t be able to achieve all that I’m capable of achieving. God wants us to see and appreciate our qualities so that we can use them to change the world.
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AuthorThese are the stories of my adventures of growing, learning and serving in Peru! Archives
October 2017
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