Survivor Gallery (www.sayitsurvivor.com)

When we speak of ACEs we do so, almost universally, as adults. But the adverse experiences lived through are lived through by children, as children, while children.

When I look at the photos in the Survivor Gallery I feel sad and old. I remember childhood and the way I felt as a kid, while a kid. Ancient. Lost. Confused. All at the same time. 

Today, I'd say ancient-lost-confused is code for anxiety or helplessness or too alone. But I didn't know that as a kid.

As a kid, I felt wrong and bad and strange. That I could feel different if my situation or circumstances changed was way beyong the child mind of a kid of three or five or seven. 

This gallery is a reminder that kids are kids are kids. Kids who are in grade school photos or at first-holy communions or who are playing sports or at recess. Kids who are in daily life at home or outsde. Kids who are kids. 

Here's the mission of the Survivor Gallery as excerpted from the Say It, Survivor website.  

Frequently, when we talk about sexual abuse we are doing it from the vantage point of adulthood.  It is easy to forget how young we were. As adults, we call ourselves survivors- but we didn’t become survivors as grown women and men.  Those little girls and boys, who somehow found a way to hang on; those children who found their way through the darkness, who did what they needed to do to survive- they are warriors.  Heroes.

 We want to give a face to sexual abuse.  We want to say, “HERE. LOOK.  This is who we were when we were violated, when something was taken from us.”  We want to honor our sisters and brothers.

Note: If you are interested in learing more about the gallery or of including a photo, check out the website. It would be great to see more kids of color represented in the collection.