still swimming.
i thought the first year of law school was suppose to be the toughest. that was not the case for me.Â
this past semester, the first of my 2L year was the most trying experience of my life. and sheesh, i have dealt with a lot of experiences.Â
before we go any further, i think its important to tell you a little about myself and warn you of some contents that this post will contain.Â
i am brutally honest. i dont believe in sugar coating the truth, and so i wont. this post may be triggering to anyone who has every experienced sexual assault and/or sexual harassment. this post is my truth. and if you havent noticed by now, i do not like capital letters or formal punctuation. and i also cant spell.Â
anyway, back to the story.Â
the beginning of the semester started off rocky. i worked for my school and assisted with many task including orientation for the first year students and the title ix policy updates (thanks betsy *eyeroll*).Â
unfortunately, i had to use that title ix policy.Â
at the end of july, my key card to get in and out of my schoolâs parking deck was not working properly. i expressed my concern to a security officer. instead of walking to the gate, he walked with me to the parking deck and followed me to my car. we were the only two in the parking deck.Â
while at my car, he asked me on a date. i was not interested in the slightest. but hey, im a girl all alone in the parking deck with a security guard. i had just heard about a woman getting killed for rejecting a man. and i sure tf have no lived enough to die. so i told him that school was starting soon and i did not have time. smooth escape i thought. and i also thought that would be it, i was wrong.Â
the next week, i left the second floor (where i worked) to go downstairs and get a snack from the vending machines. he saw me and ran to try and pay for my snack, thoughtful gesture, but i refused as i did not want to lead him on. he then followed me to the elevators and handed me a note with his number on it.Â
i had to cross paths with him to get to work, and he would make comments to me. once in particular troubled me.âyou dont work on wednesdays, we could go out on a wednesday.â and that is when a red flag went off for me.Â
why do you know my work schedule? ive already said i wasnt interest, why are you still actively pursing me? so i told my friend/co-worker about the interactions and asked her to walk me to my car.
while working late one evening, he came to the suite and started talking and staring. it was after hours and he was no longer on the clock. the other security officer on duty was probably home with his feet kicked up by this hour. instead of doing the same... he came to âsee what was going on.â being aware of the situation and that i was uncomfortable, my friend engaged in the conversation so i didnt have to. bless her.Â
during orientation, we had leftover food. my boss at the time asked me to take some to the security officers. my friend and i locked eyes knowing i sure tf was not about to lead this man on by any means. so, that is when i told my boss at the time that i was good off doing that. if you know who my boss was, you know she will get the truth out of you.Â
one thing lead to another and boom, the incidents were reported to HR. who i was required to meet with. during the first week of classes, i met both HR and my boss to reassure them that i was not looking to get a black man fired, i just wanted to be left alone.Â
time went by, nothing happened. i still was uncomfortable passing the security desk. i would have friends walk with me to the car so i wouldnt be alone bc guess who did rounds in the parking deck, yeah. you guessed it, him.Â
unfortunately, my request was not fulfilled. he did not leave me alone. i was required to do a tabling event for work. guess where that tabling event was? right across from the security desk. gr8!!! he looked at me and loudly started saying "i shouldn't have to come to work and be uncomfortable.â he said this several times, causing others in the area to look and see what was going on.Â
again, the tabling event was for work (different job btw). i was sitting next to my boss who was unaware of the previous interactions. she too asked âwhy is he screaming like that?âÂ
i sat there in shock. in silence. and on the clock, so i couldnt leave.Â
why. should. he. have. to. come. to. work. and. feel. uncomfortable.
that was it, my breaking point. i felt unsafe. i expressed my concerns to the appropriate parties. eventually time went on and he was transferred.Â
shortly after, repressed memories of my childhood rape surfaced during a therapy session. along with many thoughts: was i over exaggerating? did i lead him on in anyway? could i have done more to let him know i wasnt interested before reporting the incidents? was this my fault?Â
guilt.Â
i lost track of what was happening in real life because i was so distracted by the thoughts in my head. but as soon as i gained back some control, real life hit me again. my legal writing assignment had been posted. and guess what the topic was? sexual harassment in the work place.Â
you mean to tell me, i have to do research, write a brief, and have an oral argument about sexual harassment? shit, someone call my therapist.Â
i wrote some shit on some paper. and that was that. what was happening in my classes? no clue. what was happening in my life? no clue. what was going on in the world? no clue.Â
i got lost again.Â
i just wanted to float and let the current carry me for awhile. i wanted to watch the clouds chase each other into different corners of the sky like freed kites who never worry about the meaning of away. i wanted to float. ive been swimming so long.Â
but my thoughts eventually had an off switch and i was good again. then guess what?Â
kavanaugh.Â
here we fucking go again.Â
the student body president signed an aba petition to conduct an impartial hearing on kav. and for some reason, some students were pissed. so they took it upon themselves to write a petition to have the sba president remove his name from the aba petition and issue an apology.Â
i need you to pay very close attention for this part.Â
i sat in class triggered. surrounded by people signing this petition while tears poured down my face. how fucking disgusting are you people.Â
now the only reason i know what the petition actual was is because i am in sba. otherwise, i would have no clue it ever existed. want to know why? because the students who wrote the petition never asked me to sign it. trust me, i am not offended. in fact, im honored that they knew better than to bring some bullshit like that to me. but what was upsetting, when another student asked what was going on (why everyone was gathered looking at the petition), the authors of it said  âweâre just looking at some stuff about aba accreditation.âÂ
baby, if you gonna talk about it. be about it. smh.Â
the petition surfaced. and the names on it, wow. people i looked up to. people i considered role models. women who are allegedly advocates for women. women in general. even a few self-proclaimed feminist.
wow. the names.Â
so many people who have reached out to me when i told my story about being raped as a child. so many people i believed would be there for me if i asked for help dealing with the recent sexual harassment. so many frauds.Â
their names, they were on it. big and bold. Â
i didnt want to float anymore. i wanted to drown.Â
i was suffering. isolating myself from everyone. i did the absolute bare minimum. i distanced myself from my family, my friends, from everyone around me.Â
i didnt read for any of my classes. i stopped caring. i had thoughts about dropping out of school. i still have the withdrawal email in my draft.Â
i want to give someone credit for helping me through this, but i cant. this ocean, its so big. but hell, i havent drowned yet.Â
meanwhile, im still swimming.
