This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and The Allstate Foundation
Sometimes being a blogger can be tough and challenging but when you are able to write about causes that have affected you or your family it can be a little gut wrenching but an amazing experience. Which is why today I am so proud to be able to do a blog post for the Allstate Foundation about their campaign Purple Purse.
Being a woman myself we have always been taught about domestic abuse . And even though we are taught about these things but more than one-third of Americans have never discussed with family or friends; Domestic Violence. Domestic violence affects one in four women in her lifetime - that's more women than breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and lung cancer all combined. Most people only think of physical abuse when they think of Domestic Violence. Yet financial abuse happens in more than 98% of all cases of domestic violence and is one of the most powerful ways to keep a victim trapped. Domestic violence & financial abuse often go hand in hand , but nearly 8 of 10 Americans have not heard of financial abuse as a form of domestic violence. The number 1 reason domestic survivors stay , leave or return to an abusive relationship is they don't have the financial resources to break free.. Two thirds of Americans believe that domestic violence is a serious problem, yet just over 1 in 3 have ever talked about it. Allstate Foundation Purple Purse aims to make it fashionable to talk about this difficult topic.
Now I would like to share a little part of my story. When I was a Freshman in High School I started dating a senior! Yes a senior and I felt so special. Everything was going great for about the first few months. Then he started to be emotionally abusive at first he would call me nasty names and tell me nobody would ever love me or want me the way that he did and would make me dress a certain way and not wear make-up. He would keep me from my friends and get mad when I would talk to or hang out with them. Soon after the physical abuse started and it started with a rip of my shirt and a toss down the stairs. I was in complete shock and so embarrassed to tell my parents what had happened that I hid it. I received numerous apologetic phone calls that night and a voice mail of him crying. I reluctantly went back thinking it was just some weird thing that would never happen again. And I could not have been so wrong! Soon after that I would get screamed and yelled at and he would be so close I would get spit all over my face and a slaps and punched every now and then and hair pulling and pushing. He eventually convinced me to move in with him. I honestly don't know what I was thinking and came to the conclusion I was not. I ended up getting pregnant with my son. We had an apartment and he would always be gone if he wasn't at work during the day he was out all night getting drunk. Then the final night of our relationship came. I had given birth to our son he was about 5 weeks old. I was called to go pick my son's father up at a bar as he was to drunk to drive. When we got there he was not outside waiting for us. I waited and waited after about 30 minutes I got out of the car and peaked my head inside to look for him and then he saw me. I went back to the car and waited. He came out and looked so mad? I was so confused. He started yelling at me about how I embarrassed him and made him look stupid in front of his friends. I could tell he was drunk so I just wanted to get out of there. I started crying and tried to tell him how it wasn't right he had us waiting for so long so late at night and that our son was to small to be out like that. I tried to shut my car door and he slammed it open and then bam he kicked me right in my face with our son right behind me in the back seat. Blood just started pouring from my mouth and nose. I kicked him out of the way to get my door shut and took off and never looked back. It took me a while to realize that was not love he never loved me it was all about control. I was luckily young enough to not have to go through the financial abuse as well. I was still a teenager and got the help of my parents.
You can help ensure domestic violence survivors like someone you know aren't financially trapped in an abusive relationship by joining the Purple Purse Challenge. Open your hart and wallet to stand up for survivors and the organizations that serve them at Purple Purse.com. The Allstate Foundation is investing more than half a million dollars in the Purple Purse Challenge. The more donations each nonprofit gets , the more it can compete for Allstate Foundation incentive funding go to PurplePurse.com between Sept.2 and Oct. 3 to join the challenge and help a nonprofit near you. Kerry Washington , Emmy nominated actress and domestic violence activist , is serving as a Purple Purse Ambassador to help raise awareness for the cause and has designed a limited edition purple purse. The purse was created to represent the center of a woman's financial domain and to inspire women to reclaim their financial independence.
If you or someone you know needs immediate help , call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-799-3224.
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