HEALING HER HURT: Detroit native Robin Stone's new book breaks the silence about sexual assault within black families (cont.)
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Family backlash
Stone, who still has relatives in metro Detroit, says
some family members didn't want her to publicize her story.
"One relative told me, 'You're going to embarrass the family.' But my response is that this is not my secret to keep. It's not my responsibility to keep a secret that may embarrass people because that's what allows abuse to continue."
She says when she told her parents about the abuse at 21 years of age, they confronted the uncle. He denied that he had assaulted her.
"It's important that my parents believed me," Stone says of her parents, who still live in metro Detroit.
The author, who devoted a chapter of her book to parents and caregivers, says it's important that they support the child and take action to stop the abuse. Failure to do so may suggest to the child that he or she is not important, she says.
Too many parents want to pretend it didn't happen.
"I feel fortunate to be able to share with others, and by doing so, help others," Stone says.
"It's very empowering. By sharing my story, I can help others it has happened to and possibly prevent it from happening to someone else. That's the ultimate goal of this book: to prevent it from occurring."
© Detroit Free Press 2004
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