I was sitting at the kitchen table catching up on the gossip from my aunt. Things that were happening “back home” aka the place my mom and grandparents immigrated from.
Though I had never been to this place and I was American through and through, home was never considered here in this house. She was talking about the beef between my grandfather and some uncle.
She went on to describe the wife saying “she was super nice and caring, she just married the wrong guy..” and trailed off. I asked the question rather comfortably “does he hit her?” This question came out so easy, as if it was normal if he did and I was sent through a tunnel of nostalgia. I realized how much I asked that question, how much that was reality, how many people I know who did the same.
But, I had always thought these things happened only "back home." Or with immigrants from back home who brought and practiced these behaviors. I thought domestic violence only happened with "certain types of people" people who believed women were property, there were things you sold for dowry, things you didn't want on your watch.
I had this false belief that America was better than that. I though my grandparents and parents left the sexism back in the motherland, brought us here so we didn't have to be constantly harassed by the sexism and standards women had to uphold.
Boy was I wrong.
One in four women in America ALONE face domestic violence. No matter how old you are, what country you come from, poor or rich, domestic violence is never acceptable. Women are not your property, they’re not a punching bag you can hit when you loose your temper.
We’re humans
We’re people
We’re alive
We’re enough
and we're done taking your punches.
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