{"id":37557,"date":"2025-10-06T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/?p=37557"},"modified":"2025-10-01T09:18:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T14:18:19","slug":"when-survivors-speak-change-is-possible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/when-survivors-speak-change-is-possible\/","title":{"rendered":"When survivors speak, change is possible\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Earlier this year, Esperanza United hosted our first <\/span>Congressional Week of Action<\/a> \u2013 <\/span><\/b>five days dedicated to bringing more survivor voices into national policy conversations. Over the course of the week, we organized 23 meetings between survivors and congressional representatives and trained 31 advocates \u2013 all of which proved what we\u2019ve always known: when survivors speak, change is possible.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

One of those powerful advocates was <\/span>Cindy S\u00e1nchez. We first met her thanks to our local Minnesota partners Bridges to Safety<\/a>, who recognized her strength and clarity. For Cindy, a mother of two, military veteran, and survivor, the Week of Action was more than an event \u2013 it was a turning point.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

She\u2019d already walked a difficult path: leaving an abusive relationship, navigating a complicated court system, and facing the weight of cultural expectations that told her to stay silent. She remembers the isolation vividly: \u201cEven after separating, I was still in court for three years. I didn\u2019t know anyone else who went through that.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Through journaling, Cindy found both a tool for healing and a way to reclaim her power. <\/span>This practice was so transformative that it motivated her to publish her own workbook, <\/span>Rising <\/span><\/i>From<\/span><\/i> The Ashes: A Survivor\u2019s Guide To Healing<\/span><\/i><\/a>, to help others. Putting words on paper helped her recognize that resources existed, even if they weren\u2019t always easy to access. \u201cIf I, with my background, didn\u2019t know where to go, imagine how hard it is for others in our community who don\u2019t know the language or the system,\u201d she shared.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

When Cindy joined Esperanza United\u2019s Congressional Week of Action<\/a>, she carried her personal story into a collective effort. This time, she went beyond writing; she was speaking directly to policymakers. Her message was clear: culturally specific services save lives.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cIn our culture, women are often told to endure and be silent,\u201d Cindy explained. She spoke about the fear of being judged and the victim-blaming that can come from family. <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s helpful to see representation and people of color in the organizations you are receiving services with,\u201d she noted, because it builds the trust needed to share personal information and seek help. \u201cIt\u2019s helpful when a service provider approaches you with \u2018hey, these are your options, whenever you are ready, we are here to help.\u2019 It\u2019s not about forcing a decision but about planting a seed of hope and letting a survivor know they are not alone.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Her reflections echoed one of Esperanza United\u2019s priorities for the Week of Action: advocating for more federal support for culturally specific services. These programs are not extra. They are essential. They ensure that survivors \u2013 especially those navigating language barriers, legal systems, or cultural stigma \u2013 have access to safety, community, and healing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

For Cindy, that hope \u2013 or esperanza \u2013 is embodied by her children. She shared, “If it weren\u2019t for them, I don\u2019t know if I would have the strength to keep going.\u201d That hope fuels her advocacy and her message: \u201cThe more we come together in community, the stronger and more powerful we are.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Her journey shows what Esperanza United strives to do every day: not only to provide direct services, but to create spaces where survivors lead systems change. Survivors like Cindy are not just recounting trauma, they are shaping policy, educating Congress, and ensuring the next generation has more options than they did.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

But this work is only possible with action. It requires donors who sustain our programs, and it requires advocates who defend funding for survivors at every level. As Cindy put it: \u201cIf we don\u2019t speak up for ourselves, who will?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

At Esperanza United, we believe survivors already have the power to lead. With your support, we make sure they also have the platform. <\/span>Because as Cindy so powerfully reminds us, \u201cWe are not going to diminish our light to keep someone else in power\u201d.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

About Cindy S\u00e1nchez<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>

Cindy Sanchez is a Mexican American domestic violence survivor, advocate, and author of <\/span>Rising From The Ashes: A Survivor\u2019s Guide To Healing.<\/span><\/i><\/a> Drawing from her own journey, Cindy created this resource to equip others with tools for healing and self-discovery. She has donated copies to shelters and legal centers across Minnesota and is currently preparing a Spanish edition to expand its impact and accessibility.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

As a pageant titleholder, Cindy uses her platform to raise awareness about domestic violence while celebrating resilience, culture, and community. Her mission is to empower survivors to reclaim their voice, embrace their strength, and believe in their ability to rebuild a brighter future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Earlier this year, Esperanza United hosted our first Congressional Week of Action \u2013 five days dedicated to bringing more survivor voices into national policy conversations. Over the course of the week, we organized 23 meetings between survivors and congressional representatives and trained 31 advocates \u2013 all of which proved what we\u2019ve […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":37558,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[34,592,38],"class_list":["post-37557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-free","tag-impact-story","tag-public-policy"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37557"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37557\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37574,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37557\/revisions\/37574"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}