Amid the ugliness of more and more revelations of abuse by teachers at Horace Mann School, a group of survivors of childhood sexual abuse prepared a thoughtful, forward-thinking proposal.
What an amazing thing. Those who suffered the most lead the rest of us.
I signed my support. Members of the HM community are encouraged to do so as well (box after the letter).
A few quotes from the Survivors' Letter:
What an amazing thing. Those who suffered the most lead the rest of us.
I signed my support. Members of the HM community are encouraged to do so as well (box after the letter).
A few quotes from the Survivors' Letter:
It begins
We have been deeply moved by the outpouring of love, concern and solidarity expressed by many in our community since the publication of the New York Times Magazine article about sexual abuse at Horace Mann. We wish to express our thanks to all who have expressed compassion and caring toward us. We have tried not to be hurt by certain comments others have made on the internet seeking to blame the victims or to call our integrity, our motives or even our sexuality into question.
Their recommendations
We believe work must be done in four areas: 1) protecting potential future victims, 2) ensuring “never again” at Horace Mann, 3) healing and assisting past victims based on their legitimate needs, and 4) changing the wider system.
And still they conclude respectfully and optimistically
We want to be clear that we still feel deeply connected to our alma mater. We are proud of the outstanding education we received at Horace Mann, and we are grateful for wonderful teachers who opened new horizons of learning for us. We do not want to hurt Horace Mann; we want to help heal it, though we have learned from experience that healing sometimes requires confronting painful realities.
It's here: HoraceMannSurvivor.org
