HYPE speaker shares #WhyIStayed story
Beverly Gooden didn’t know that a tweet could change her life. On Thursday, Gooden, the final HYPE Career Ready speaker this academic year, shared how that happened.
In 2014, then Baltimore Raven Ray Rice was charged with the assault of his fiancé in an elevator. After the video was released, everyone had an opinion on the incident with the most popular being – how could she stay with him?
Gooden had been in an abusive relationship for two years before finding a way out. She knew the complexities of such a relationship and how it’s not as simple as many people believe.
“Even though the comments weren’t directed at me, I felt guilt and shame,” she said. “I was angry that the question everyone was asking was ‘Why did she stay?’ instead of ‘Why did he hit her?’”
Gooden felt compelled to share her experience with the hashtag #WhyIStayed.
150,00 people used the hashtag within 48 hours. Her life changed forever.
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March 17, 2018
