We can provide digital security training, emotional support and healing bodywork to 85 survivor storytellers

Stories are seeds - they carry medicine, memory, and magic. And the space that taught me these lessons in the most profound way is Mirror Memoirs. I’m Hyunhee Shin, a queer Korean forager, aspiring farmer, fundraiser, and survivor of sexual abuse. Ten years ago, I didn’t know that last part. I was working at a feminist foundation on the issue of child sexual abuse and dove headfirst into the world of anti-violence work. Part of my job was to scour the websites of our partner organizations to put together tip sheets on keeping children safe. Little did I know, I was triggering myself every day, hammering on the barriers my mind created to protect me until finally I discovered long hidden memories of my own childhood trauma.

I learned that this is common, that childhood trauma blots out your memories by design, that your mind protects you by hiding the unbearable until you might be ready to absorb it, possibly forever. I was stunned and scrambling to make sense of what I was given access to.

One of the most soothing balms in that confusing time was watching Secret Survivors, a theater project centering the stories of adult survivors of child sexual abuse. Seeing Amita and other survivors tell their stories so beautifully and openly showed me that there were others, that it was okay to tell, and that there is power in sharing what happened to you. Witnessing the Mirror Memoirs theater performance, Transmutation, ten years later was like coming home. We have known the power of story and ritual for generations, and seeing the testimony of these extraordinary truth tellers solidified that in my body and spirit.

When Amita invited me to tell my story for the Mirror Memoirs audio archive, I said yes with my whole heart and chose to be witnessed. The experience of being in conversation with a queer survivor of color who I didn’t have to explain anything to, who asked me questions I didn’t know I’d always wanted to be asked, and who built a container for me where I felt safe and seen and heard — was one of the most powerfully healing experiences of my life and was truly a gift.

Several studies from the National Institute of Health show that a perceived positive experience of disclosure of sexual abuse can help reduce long-term mental health challenges. Our conversation was 7 years ago, and I still feel nourished by our talk and think about things we discussed - if you had all the resources and time in the world to focus on your healing, what would you want? What’s your personal vision to ending child sexual abuse? If you could give your little child survivor self anything in the direct aftermath of harm, what would you offer them?

I’ve had the joy and privilege of sharing this truly magical space with queer and trans survivors of color who live into our shared dream of liberation. I have felt in my body and seen in others how we have alchemized our pain through the power of story and witness. This is why Mirror Memoirs means so much to me, why I became a board member, and why I’m inviting you to support us.