Giving Compass' Take:

• Danielle Brazell shares her story of healing from sexual assault abuse throughout her life by joining a theatre and building a career in the arts. 

• How can leaders in arts communities nationwide provide resources for victims of sexual assault? 

• Read about how art and community help trauma survivors. 

In light of the recent events surrounding the election of a known sexual predator, a year of the #MeToo movement, and the Supreme Court nomination, this blog about Women Leadership in the Arts is informed by my personal experiences and my unwavering mission to grow arts, culture, and creativity in every facet of civil society.

When I entered adolescence, most of that body awareness and self-esteem melted away. Sexualized at an early age, many women, like myself, balanced the need to be attractive with our intelligence. Many of us also tend to defer to the needs of others over our own (this one, I am still working on).

I too have been the victim of sexual assault, sexual aggression, and inappropriate advances from male colleagues and supervisors on more than one occasion. UN Women, the UN organization dedicated to gender equity, reports that one in three women in the United States and one in six men are sexually assaulted each year. Close to 120 million girls worldwide (slightly more than 1 in 10) have experienced forced intercourse or other forced sexual acts at some point in their lives.

While it was not a conscious decision on my part to begin to heal past trauma through drama and theater, that is precisely what happened. Through my high school play production class, I learned how to talk about trauma through characters. I learned how to connect my trauma with theirs, as well as my other fellow thespians (remember, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 10 men).

The healing process occurred alongside my career in the arts—first as a student and volunteer; then as an artist and a teaching artist; and now as an arts administrator and leader. The transformation happened over the past 25 years. While the trauma is no longer debilitating, it is never forgotten.

Read the full article about theatre can help heal trauma by Danielle Brazell at ARTS Blog