I was 17 when I met Jeffrey Epstein.
At 21, when many young women were beginning college, I was subpoenaed by the FBI.
I was terrified.
Epstein had told me that I would go to jail if the authorities found out. He had told me that he “owned everything” and “knew everyone.” I was afraid of him, petrified of law enforcement, and paralyzed at the thought of my peers finding out.
Many years later, I eventually came forward as an Epstein survivor. Seeing the strength of the survivors that came before me compelled me to stand up.
One question sits heavy with me: What do we owe the next generation?
As an Epstein survivor and advocate for survivors everywhere, I’ve been traveling across this country for the past several weeks with the Trump-Epstein Reading Room and Bookmobile. The project is both a traveling exhibit that showcases the released files and a chilling tribute to survivors.
I have spoken with politicians and voters from both sides of the aisle, red and blue, in towns big and small. I have shared my story while standing in a sea of Epstein files — 3.5 million pages and 17,000 pounds of evidence, to be exact.
What’s important to remember is that the sexual abuse and trafficking of countless women and girls is not political. These crimes committed against us have been weaponized and exploited by many who aim to discredit us, manipulate the facts, and continue to protect power over the pursuit of justice. We need leaders who will take action today, work with survivors, and ensure our children are protected for tomorrow. History will remember those who worked tirelessly with survivors and those who — out of fear, political retribution, or moral bankruptcy — continued to do nothing.
It has been extraordinary to connect with people around the country. I’ve received countless hugs and shared tears with community leaders, other moms, students and perfect strangers. Some are tears for the loss of innocence that so many of us endured; others are tears of rage over the system that should have protected us.
Along the way, one question sits heavy with me: What do we owe the next generation?
We cannot allow another generation to go through a lifetime of being ensnared, haunted and continually revictimized by another powerful perpetrator, only to have their government — and the systems meant to protect survivors — turn a blind eye (Attorney General Todd Blanche has denied the notion that he or his Justice Department has ignored Epstein victims or failed to adequately investigate cases).
Before this last year, I was a dance educator, a creative, and a teaching artist. I have taught students all over the U.S., and I often think about who I was at their age. A vulnerable 17 year old girl.
In the midst of taking the Epstein files across the country, a previous student of mine reached out to me. She’s a current student at Cornell University and expressed concern for her safety on campus. She was deeply impacted by the intense media presence outside of her classrooms. My mind pivoted back to teaching her choreography, musicality, and dance technique when she was younger. Now, I was teaching her how to navigate horrific allegations of gang rape on her campus. My expertise as a survivor felt more valuable than dance instruction. As someone who’s repeatedly felt like I couldn’t say “no,” — with Epstein, with media, through my experiences as a classical ballet dancer — I told her to remember that she’s beholden to no one but herself.
Our institutions are failing survivors, and our administration is setting up a behavioral example for generations of abusers to come.
We have a serious problem in this country. We need a cultural reckoning and realignment of values. Our institutions are failing survivors, and our administration is setting up a behavioral example for generations of abusers to come.
We must put humanity above political loyalty and place power in the hands of people with the right institutional knowledge and intentions. We can’t let entitlement of those most privileged continue to corrupt our institutions and our government. Our kids are depending on it.
While on the road with the Epstein files, I had one encounter with a young man who initially laughed while flipping through the troves of documents. As he turned page after page, his demeanor shifted. He paused and said to me, “I may have some research to do.” Whether he had the intention of following through or not, he took it in for a brief moment. I felt hope that we were reaching populations that we haven’t previously had access to.
The next generation shouldn’t have to repair the world alone. It takes all of us, asking for laws to be reformed, calling our legislatures and educating our sons to look to the right role models.
We need to release all of the Epstein files; start investigations into the men who raped and trafficked women; hold the inner circle that made this sex trafficking ring possible, accountable; and pass legislation — like the Redact Act, Survivor’s Restitution Bill, Epstein Files Transparency Act II, and Virginia’s Law — that works to ensure this nightmare doesn’t happen again. Importantly, Blanche and his Department of Justice need to be held responsible for further exploitation and revictimization through their dangerous redaction inconsistencies and unwillingness to work with us.
We are in a triathlon, not a sprint. The cultural shift we need takes time. Whether it’s the campus administration, the board of a prestigious arts organization or our government, we can’t allow power to continue to protect power. We owe our kids more than a lifetime of institutional trauma.
This is on all of us. Inaction is what got us here. What we do today has lasting effects for generations to come.
The post I’m an Epstein survivor. Here’s what I hope Americans consider as they head to the polls. appeared first on MS NOW.
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