GAZELLE MAGAZINE WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH EDITION | Page 90

WELLNESS & WELL-BEING
LAQUETTA S. RUSTON
Attorney
“I
PHYLISS MORRIS
Boutique Owner DIANE KLINE
Journalist
have experienced sexual harassment
on the job. It was so strange, especially
when the guy was in a leadership
position and about to be married. He
would make advances toward me every
time we had a moment away from co-workers.
He made sure that no one would witness his
behavior. I was afraid to tell anyone because he
was a joker to them and a good guy in their eyes.
I refused his advances, so he started making my
job harder and lying about my work ethic. I
was so upset that I became angry with him and
couldn’t stand to be around him. It was a weird
feeling. I wanted to hurt his feelings and tell
his fiancée about him, but some women blame
other women for their man’s actions. He never
stopped, so I just quit the job and felt afterward
that I should have fought and brought a case
against him. I never wanted to work around a
group of men again. I didn’t trust them, even
when they seemed friendly and helpful. s a young woman starting
my
career,
harassment
was around every corner -
literally. Once, I asked my
boss for a raise, and he said
I could have one if I performed oral sex on
him. I started laughing because I was so
embarrassed, and I just left his office. He was
powerful, and I was humiliated, and I never
got the raise. Now more than ever, #TimesUp.
I
88
After receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award for "outstanding contribution in the field
of entertainment” at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, Oprah Winfrey’s acceptance
speech called for a new day for women in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
GAZELLE
A
MELANIE ACKERMAN
Brand Promoter
I
have only spoken of my incident to
a few people who are very close to
me. I worked for several years with
sexual assault victims, which helped
me tremendously. And I’ve finally
mustered up the courage to tell my story
because my son is going off to college in a
year. Sex is a very open topic in our home –
no means no, ask before you touch, etc. I want
people to understand group peer pressure,
especially when alcohol is involved. That’s
where my story lies.
TRACY BERRY-MCGHEE
Therapist, Motivational Speaker
and Author
A
s a 10-year-old girl, I was
sexually molested by an
uncle. At an age when many
girls lose their voice, I told!
I used my voice, and my
family asked me if I was sure; perhaps it was
a dream? Maybe that was because he was in
college or because families like to hide secrets
in the closet. But whatever the reason, they
doubted me. My grandmother didn’t want
to believe that her son could do this to her
granddaughter. It has impacted my life and
is one of the reasons I became the founder of
SistaKeeper and the I Define Me movement.
I have always felt because of the nightmare
I experienced that day - in my safe space
at my grandma’s - that other girls need to
know dreams can become a reality. So as a
licensed therapist, wife and mother of two
girls, I empower girls to have a voice to define
their purpose and know they hold the key to
their destiny, and that negativities in life don’t
define them. Society will not silence me nor
define me - I define me.
Association
Was 39” is a personal memoir
recounting love, laughter and
life lost at the hands of sexual
predators. It happened to me
not only once as a 6-year-old
by the teenage son of my caretaker, not even
just twice by an adult brother of my friend
at her sleepover, but three times! The third
time was a soldier in the United States Army
serving alongside me as I served my country.
Unfortunately fo r me, each sexual assault
robbed me of the emotional pleasure of
countless more consensual encounters. I was
39 years old before I knew it!