Dear Congresswoman Gwen Moore:
Your recent floor speech about the pressing need to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) restored my faith in our legislative branch and the “People’s House.” As a survivor of domestic abuse, I no longer felt invisible when you shared that you too are a survivor. As a woman who works in the political world of Washington, I listened to you speak and remembered why I am here.
These days, it seems like most members of Congress rarely say anything that isn’t meant to ensure that special interests funnel money into their campaign coffers. For those few moments, you spoke with the halting passion of someone who has been there and knows exactly why we need more funding to ensure that battered women of all races, education levels and sexual identities can survive.
I would like to share a piece I wrote recently for the Washington Post that chronicles my own journey to survive. You are truly an inspiration – thank you for making me feel less alone. With women like you leading the fight, I believe that we can rebuild our nation to become a place where “domestic violence is not as American as apple pie.”
I’m writing to you today to tell you that I will stand beside you and continue to fight – for your daughter, my daughter and the millions of other young girls who, today, face a world where violence is, more likely than not, a part of their past, present or future.
Thank you,
Emilie Surrusco