Domestic Violence Survivor’s Symposium
This weekend, Best Selling Author Natasha T. Brown hosted a Domestic Violence Survivor’s Symposium, which highlighted Author and Spoken Word Artist Claudine Barbot’s survival story. Other guests contributed to the conversation discussing the ways in which their families had been affected by domestic violence.
The Symposium was a forum for survivors to share their experiences with domestic abuse. Sixty-four people from all walks of life were in attendance as the guests shared their stories. Many of the attendees shared similar experiences and were deeply touched by the survivors’ accounts. “My sister was murdered for asking for a divorce,” guest Benny Randall shared during the night’s conversation. Benny also shared the signs of abuse that he witnessed prior to his sister’s tragic death.
The speaker for this symposium, Claudine Barbot, shared her experiences with domestic abuse, the impact it had on her family, and how she has recovered since she left the relationship. She recalled her abuser telling her, “If I can’t have you, no one can,” among other forms of verbal abuse. She also highlighted the signs of domestic abuse and her breaking point that was the catalyst for her leaving.
Natasha T. Brown is the founder of 10 Blessings 10,000 Survivors, an outreach program for domestic violence victims. “I’m really speechless about the work being done and the chains that are breaking as a result of this work,” she said of tonight’s symposium. “We aim to empower victims, show and share the faces and effects of domestic violence, and keep the conversation in the forefront all year round,” she added. The 10 Blessings 10K Survivors program provides victims in abusive relationships with resources and encouragement to leave. The program has ambassadors who regularly speak out against domestic violence on multimedia platforms. The symposiums are held twice a month to spread awareness of domestic violence in an effort to save 10,000 victims of abuse.