New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Honoring the courage of my cousin McKayla Maroney
We all have moments that are forever etched in our memories. We just commemorated the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Most people can tell you exactly where they were that day. Most parents share the happier memory of the day that their children were born and for some, their wedding day.
One of the best memories of my life was attending the gymnastics Olympic trials in San Jose, Calif., in 2012. I was there, along with most of my father’s family, to watch my cousin McKayla Maroney dream big and attempt to make the Olympic gymnastics team. At one point, I remember my uncle telling me, “Those girls may look cute and little, but they are unbelievably strong.”
Somehow, I was separated from my uncle, and didn’t see him immediately after McKayla was named to the Olympic team. However, several minutes later, my whole family began to congregate outside of the stadium. It was then that we saw my uncle, and he started running towards us. I remember hugging him and hearing him say, “She did it! She is amazing.” We both had tears in our eyes and his pride was palpable.
Once again, this past week my cousin McKayla proved that she is amazing. She and her former teammates all demonstrated their immense strength. They were forced to relive their traumatic experience and share with the country the pain that they had endured. Pain that was multiplied by a system that failed them.
Thankfully, these strong women persisted, despite initial attempts to silence their voices by the system that was meant to protect them, and they were able to put an end to Larry Nassar’s reign of terror over hundreds of women, many of whom were children at the time of their abuse. McKayla, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and Maggie Nichols achieved incredible feats at the highest levels of competition and represented our country on the global stage, but it is their persistence and unwavering courage in their quest for justice that I am most inspired by.
The other night I was watching a show, and one of the characters in the show said there are no such things as coincidences. That seems especially true knowing that before McKayla’s testimony last week, I had a meeting with Norah Hartlipp, the college advocate and prevention coordinator at the SACS Program at the Women and Families Center. She informed me that we have entered into the “red zone,” where more than 50 percent of campus sexual assaults occur between August and November. Statistics show that more than 1 in 4 women are the victims of sexual violence on a college campus, and most do not report the assaults to law enforcement.
We know we need to do better; we need to let those victims know that they are not alone, and that there are resources available to help them reclaim their power and find a sense of safety and security in their lives. We cannot allow the system to fail others the way that it failed my cousin and her teammates. We need to ensure that a victim’s voice will be heard and acted upon.
Our district has different agencies that provide support: Women and Families Center and the Milford Rape Crisis Center. There are also various agencies throughout the state that can help, and there is one number to call that will connect you to an agency that will assist you. The number for that 24-hour hotline is 888-999-5545.
In my life, I try to be thankful for the things I have, instead of desiring the things that I lack. I am thankful to Sen. Blumenthal for standing with McKayla and the others after they testified in D.C. I am extremely thankful for my family, as they are one of the greatest blessings in my life. I know that my entire family is extraordinarily proud of McKayla, and in awe of her strength and courage.
Due to McKayla’s hard work and incredible strength, she has built her own platform, but what I am most proud of is that she is using that platform to help others, despite her own pain.
I am also thankful for the constituents of the 14th District who have given me a platform. I am honored to be able to represent Milford, Orange, West Haven and Woodbridge in Hartford. Today I am hoping to use that platform to ask that you help get the word out to victims and survivors of sexual assault that they are not at fault and they are not alone. There is support available. We believe in you.
If you or someone you know needs help, reach out to the 24-hour hotline at 888-899-5545. If you want to learn how you can train to intervene and help end harassment in all forms, visit ihollaback.org. Finally, I am asking you to help by using your own platform to help spread this message. Together, we can all help make a difference.
State Sen. James Maroney represents the 14th District, which includes Milford, Orange, West Haven and Woodbridge.