April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. While we are painfully aware of it, it is important to talk about it and teach the next generation a better way. This is my contribution, and to the untold numbers of survivors in the world, stay true to yourselves, you are all amazing and stronger than anything anyone will ever tell you.

A Letter to A Rapist

You're the reason I don't sleep at night.

You’re the reason this world isn’t right.

To her, you were just another face until you took her to that godforsaken place

Your nails were dirty and your breath smelled like whiskey and evil intentions

You took her innocence like it was something to be bought and sold.

You were probably “too busy” to realize she was only 13 years old

You’re the reason she couldn’t get out of bed

And the reason she would start crying without a word being said

When I went to give her a hug, she would cringe and almost cry

And what kills me is that we have the same color eyes

What hurts me more is that you’re not just a “man”

See, you made her a statistic

You made her spirit bend until it broke because it’s not elastic

You’re not just a man

You’re the reason I worry when my sisters walk alone

You’re the reason I lock every door and window before I leave home

You’re not just a man

You’re the sad reality that 1-6 women are going to be raped in their lifetime

And from Stanford to ISU preview, why does this shit happen all the fucking time?!

But guess what, you’re not a man

Because despite your efforts, she did not die in that house

She grew to be a lion, and you’re just a minuscule mouse

YOU ARE NOT A MAN

Because my mother raised me to be what you’re not

And my father taught me to have something that you never got

Ladies and gentlemen, that’s called respect

At the end of the day, you’re just a nightmare

But the boogieman is dead and she’s too happy to care

And what happened to her wasn’t right

But she rose from the ashes in despite

In spite of a broken system that protects monsters like you

But she’s strong enough to look back at you and say FUCK YOU

Our world is full of hashtags and trends. But once, just once, I'm hoping for everyone to put down the phones for a second. Just, for a second. Stand up, and use your voice! Survivors are your parents, your siblings, your neighbors, and your friends! Celebrities have come out in mass to call for change. Musicians like Lady Gaga have written powerful and impactful songs that have inspired a generation.

I see on the news that activists are calling us "the generation of change," let's act like it.