I was honored to receive the Aquamarine Award from Violence Free Colorado. My whole life I have battled to be heard, to be seen, to be taken seriously. After I was elected as State Representative five years ago, I was given the opportunity to show the world who I am.
My biggest question was how do I represent all the things that matter to me, what was I going to say. I have a responsibility to not be quiet, I needed to be loud and say I am a domestic violence survivor.
Since I started my time at the Capitol, I have been a fierce advocate for crime victim and have passed numerous pieces of legislation to ensure the judicial system does not retraumatize victims, ensure that municipal courts are equipped to handle domestic violence cases and there is data tracing, close the boyfriend loophole and bring peace of mind to survivors that they need not to fear about the lives of themselves and their loved ones, and provide crucial funding to victim services.
This is just the beginning. I will continue my fight at the legislature as I know we still have a long way to go. Remember the minute you tell survivors they aren’t alone they start to heal.
Thank you so much for your support, I could not do this good work without the support of Violence Free Colorado and many other organizations.