The second ever Break the Silence run started in a symbolic way.
The race, organized by the Break the Silence Project and held Saturday, April 13, at Murphy Park, began with the loud revs of motorcycles.
Organizers said the run was designed to raise awareness of childhood sexual abuse and to provide information about where to seek help. The motorcycles broke a moment of silence in a metaphoric manner.
“I refuse to put my head down and act like the things we don’t happen to know about don’t happen,” said Marcus Reese, one of Break the Silence Project’s founders. “I refuse to put on blinders when I know kids are hurting … We have to do something.”
After the 1.4 mile walk or run, participants received the opportunity to talk face-to-face with support groups and organizations that specialize in caring for victims.
Reese, a fellow survivor himself, assured attendees that the venue was a safe space with people who could be trusted.
Resource organizations present included Bikers Against Child Abuse, Hope Alliance, Taylor Police Department, U.S. Secret Service’s childhood protection programs, True Wellness ATX, Equilibria, Pengwenz, SAFE, Jennifer’s Hope, Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, Taylor Independent School District, Impact Counseling Services, Texas CPS and Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center.
“Look around you today at the resource tables,” Reese said. “These tables are faced in a circle, because I want you to feel like you’re encased in love today.”
Biker’s Against Childhood Abuse said they advocate in children’s cases, but members don’t use their personal names in these cases.
One of the ways BACA acts as a resource for child victims is by attending court cases with them, according to a member who goes by the name “Stat.”
“We are here to empower kids who have been sexually abused to not be afraid to live in the world which they live in,” the BACA member said. “To let them know it’s not their fault and they are loved.”
Nicole Martinez, administrator of the Texas governor’s sexual assault survivors’ task force, spoke at the event to read a proclamation from Gov. Greg Abbott that declares April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Mayor Brandt Rydell read a similar proclamation that recognized the event from a previous Taylor City Council.
“This wonderful event brings awareness to very serious issues in our society and I could not be prouder of what y’all are doing,” Mayor Brandt Rydell said.
