Origins Of an Advocate

A photo of me in college

When I was in college, majoring in Urban Studies and Sociology, one of my friends asked me what I wanted to do.  I replied with “help people.”  She asked again, but more specifically, what do you want to do.  And I remember saying that I wanted to work at a place like Women in Transition, apparently sealing my own fate!

When I was about 13-14, my parents received a call requesting their presence at my grandparents’ house.  Being the curious and helpful person I am, I, of course, went along.  At my grandparents’ house were my aunt and her two small children.  Her husband had kicked and pushed her, and this wasn’t the first time.  Being as young as I was, I don’t remember a lot of the details, but I do know that he did some time in jail and she got a PFA.

While in college, I was interested in HIV/AIDS activism and got in contact with a local needle exchange, Prevention Point Pittsburgh.  They provided services to active intravenous drug users, including clean syringes.  One of the questions that we were trained to ask was how much and how often they use drugs, so that we could gauge the amount of syringes to give them.  Over and over, women would come to the site with men, and the men would answer this question.  Even when a woman had the opportunity to provide this information herself, she did not know how much or how often she used because this was determined by how much and often the man wanted her to use.  This power and control executed by a man over a woman did not sit well with me.

These events put me on a path towards helping disenfranchised people, specifically victims of crime. When I got the opportunity to work at Transitions, I was so pleased.  In fact, I have kept my passionate, pleading cover letter as a reminder of how much I want to do this work.  I am lucky to be able to help people alongside such wonderful colleagues.  My aunt has left that relationship, though her children still have relationships with their father.  My grandmother and aunt still ask me about the staff member that helped them, who continues to work for Transitions.  That is what I hope for, that 10 years later, someone will think of me fondly as that lady who helped her in a time of distress.

Katy

Legal Advocacy Coordinator