Jane J. Russell, Royal Oak, MI
I am a battle-scarred veteran of the Women’s Movement. I had long known of the grievous abuses inflicted on the women for whom Tahirih is fighting. I could barely read their stories, they broke my heart so. The indifference of our government to their plight, its willingness to hide out in the false haven of cultural relativism—well, that felt shameful.
Then sometime in the late 1990s, I went to a conference on gender equality. And there was Layli Miller-Muro, saying roughly that she worked with a nonprofit that defends immigrant women and girls who seek protection from female genital mutilation, spousal abuse, and all manner of gender-based violence.
Now that was electrifying! To think that here were some folks who might actually accomplish something more than lamentation! I had to ask, in my best financial advisor voice, “How do you feed yourself and pay the rent?”
Contributions. Well, of course. Tax deductible? Certainly!
Having been solicited to death by a prominent and respected human rights organization, I looked up Tahirih’s financial statement to be sure that you weren’t overspending on fund raising. Then and now, the numbers made it clear that you would neither waste my money nor drive me crazy.
Tahirih has been on my list ever since.
Yes, I have a list. I give to my beloved Detroit Symphony Orchestra so that they will be there to play for us next year. I give to opera guilds to get first crack at tickets for crucially important performances we travel to attend. I give to the Detroit Institute of Arts so that all of us here can continue to visit Copley and Church and Rivera and Ryder and Cassatt and Still and Frankenthaler. I give to a Jewish food bank that helps Russian immigrants who have settled in our area. My religion also gets a reasonable contribution.
Then there is Tahirih. There are other organizations devoted to the advancement of women; I belong to several. I pay my dues but rarely more. What is it about Tahirih that makes me put them on my tickler and send them money like it’s a bill to be paid?
Because I know. Do They Hear You When You Cry? Yes. I do. And I hope you could hear me. Over the past year, as an outbreak of emotionally caused excruciating muscle spasms hit me day after day, I came to understand that I am a full blown mess of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. And that I always have been.
So I know. I know that the abuse I suffered early in my life is not so different from what Tahirih’s clients have suffered. The details vary with every story, but captivity is captivity, terror is terror, violence is violence, and damage is damage.
Tahirih protects women and girls from violence. Tahirih gives women and girls an opportunity to rebuild their lives. With all those attorneys working pro bono in this noble effort, I do think I can help pay the rent.
Give to Tahirih? Indeed, how could I not?
Become a LifeSaver
The legal cases of the women and girls we serve are complicated and time-intensive claims that require legal staff time, client calls, meetings, and court hearings. It costs Tahirih $5,000 to advocate for just one woman or girl fleeing gender-based violence. Yet, when you consider the alternative of a woman or girl being forced to return to face certain violence or even death, the cost of their protection seems like very little.
You can make a secure donation now as a one-time gift or in installments. For more information, please contact us at development@tahirih.org.
