Crime Survivors Speak

Advocacy in Action

Bertha Purnell is a tireless advocate, founder of Mothers On A Mission 28, and the Chicago Chapter Coordinator for Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice. Driven by the tragic loss of her son Maurice to gun violence, Bertha has dedicated herself to creating a network of support and services for survivors and their families in Illinois. In this episode, Bertha opens up about the motivation behind starting Mothers On A Mission 28—a grassroots organization designed to bridge the gap where existing services fall short in adequately supporting survivors. Listen to discover how Bertha’s relentless advocacy led to groundbreaking legislative changes in Illinois last year, making victim services more available and accessible than ever before. We also delve into the critical need for more Trauma Recovery Centers and how collective efforts can create a more compassionate and effective system for survivors. Please join us as we explore the vision of a leader who turned personal tragedy into a lifelong mission for justice and healing.

The Aswad Interview

Aswad Thomas is a familiar voice in advocating for survivors–and a familiar voice on this podcast. But not everyone knows the profound journey that brought Aswad to be the National Director for Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice. In this episode, guest interviewer Jonathon Lewis flips the script to ask Aswad about his survivor story and path to leadership. From growing up in communities marked by crime and poverty, Aswad defied the odds as a straight-A student and the first in his family to graduate college. But shortly before he was to begin a professional international basketball career, Aswad’s life changed overnight when he became a victim of gun violence. While on the operating table, he learned the surgeon removing his bullets had previously operated on one of his teenage assailants, who had once been a victim as well. This realization catalyzed Aswad’s drive to disrupt the cycle of harm that left too many victims like himself without compensation or support of any kind after life-altering trauma. Aswad's story is one of resilience and reimagining justice, revealing how healing can become the impetus for sweeping change.

Healing and Safety After Domestic Violence

 Yolanda Jennings is an organizer from Philadelphia, where she works to support survivors recovering from domestic violence. Having lost multiple family members to domestic violence and being a survivor of DV herself, Yolanda has seen where the system fails to help people trying to escape intimate partner abuse and is co-creating the solutions that allow people to rebuild their lives after violence. Yolanda talks about her experience at Survivors Speak, where she witnessed the profound connection of survivors sharing their stories on the bus ride back from the Capitol. She also offers up innovative solutions like the Purple House Project (PA), which works to address the needs of DV survivors by connecting women with the resources they need to find housing, healing, and safety. 

Centering the Voices of Survivors

Alex Abboud is a licensed social worker and victims advocate who has spent her professional life finding new ways to provide services and support for victims and survivors recovering from harm.

From developing the first social work response model for the city of Detroit to becoming CSSJ's Statewide Manager of Pennsylvania, Alex has extensive experience both providing direct services to survivors in the immediate aftermath of trauma as well as advocating to center the voices of survivors in policy making.

In this episode, Alex discusses her own survivor story and the journey of keeping her sexual assault secret for many years to the transformative experience of speaking out about it on her own terms at last year's Survivors Speak in Harrisburg, PA.

This episode of the Crime Survivors Speak Podcast illuminates the power of taking that brave first step toward using our voices to advocate for ourselves and our communities. 

A New Movement of Survivor Leaders

Jonathon Lewis has spent his career organizing folks from marginalized communities to demand a greater voice in policy making. From working on the Obama campaign in Ohio to advocating for teachers and educational equality in his home state of Texas, Jonathon is now the National Training Director for CSSJ, where he works to provide survivors leaders with the tools to build a new movement of safety, justice, and healing. In this conversation, Jonathon talks about the lessons he's learned in his career as an organizer, what it's like to bring survivors to the capitol to speak with legislators for the first time, and the launch of CSSJ's brand new Leadership Academy, which will provide formal training for survivors who want to take their stories to legislators and the media, and help train other survivors back in their local chapters and communities. For anyone who wants to learn how to build healing through action, this episode is not to be missed.

Breaking the Cycle with Our Stories

Priscilla Bordayo is a survivor of sexual abuse and incest who has turned her story of healing into a transformative tool for change. Priscilla was born into a large family that had been shaped by generations of abuse. After becoming a victim of that cycle of harm, Priscilla became the change that broke the cycle. She learned to heal, to forgive, to sit with victims in their darkest moments, and to inspire countless people with her story. Today, Priscilla is a powerful activist and a sought-after motivational speaker whose voice catalyzes change both in her community in Lansing, Michigan and nationwide. As the Michigan CSSJ Statewide Manager, she has been instrumental in creating major policy change with the goal of giving everyone who has experienced harm the chance for redemption and healing. 

Service and Support for Crime Survivors

Tricia Forbes has been working in the movement for economic, social and racial justice for over 25 years. She has held many leadership positions at policy advocacy organizations across Texas to promote healing over retribution. Tricia is also one of many people who attended her first Survivors Speak event and immediately immersed herself in the movement to lift up survivors. Today Tricia leads CSSJ's Member Support Program, which offers a wide array of resources for healing and wellness, from free virtual therapy to interactive self-care and connections to local community-based resources. These services have the potential to make an enormous difference in the lives of survivors, so if you are a member or thinking about becoming a member, this is a great place to learn about some amazing resources that CSSJ has to offer.

Victim Compensation and Real Healing

Victim Compensation is one of the few programs designed to provide direct reimbursement for victims of crime and violence, and yet too many victims do not receive support from Victim Compensation and are left to struggle alone after a tragedy.

Today’s guest, India Brown, is here to speak about her own difficulties getting the support she needed after experiencing the loss of a loved one to violence, and how she turned that struggle into a mission to help other survivors recover and heal from violence.

India recently led efforts to help pass a historic bill in Ohio that made significant changes to the state’s victim compensation program to better support crime survivors. Tune in to listen to her powerful story. 

Domestic Violence and the Lifeline to Justice

In the United States, 1 in 3 people will experience domestic violence in their lives, but very few victims receive the support or resources they need to heal.

The guests on our podcast today, Kimesha Coleman and Shari Ware, are two leaders who are stepping forward to interrupt cycles of harm and destigmatize the shame of domestic violence by providing much-needed support for victims.

In this episode, we talk about the racial disparities that often determine how the justice system responds to victims of domestic violence, the need for funding and programming to be made accessible to under-served communities, and how real accountability can disrupt cycles of abuse and make a massive impact on public safety.

Healing through Action & Organizing

For victims of crime and violence, there are many pathways to recovery. Tune-in to hear a conversation between three crime survivors about how organizing for change offered them opportunities for healing. Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice leaders, David Guizar and Megan Hobson join Aswad to discuss organizing and the model of "healing through action."