March 21, 2023 • 31 mins
Yolanda Jennings is an organizer from Philadelphia, where she works to support survivors recovering from domestic violence. Having lost multiple family members to domestic violence and being a survivor of DV herself, Yolanda has seen where the system fails to help people trying to escape intimate partner abuse and is co-creating the solutions that allow people to rebuild their lives after violence. Yolanda talks about her experience at Survivors Speak, where she witnessed the profound connection of survivors sharing their stories on the bus ride back from the Capitol. She also offers up innovative solutions like the Purple House Project (PA), which works to address the needs of DV survivors by connecting women with the resources they need to find housing, healing, and safety.
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Episode Transcript
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Aswad Thomas (00:00):
Welcome to Crime Survivors Speak Podcast.
My name is Aswad Thomas.
I'm the National Director of CrimeSurvivors for Safety and Justice.
We are now a national network of over181,000 members from across the country.
So we're back with another episode,another amazing member of Crime
(00:21):
Survivors for Safety and Justice.
Our guest today is Miss Yolanda Jennings.
She's an advocate from Philadelphiawhere she works to support survivors
recovering from domestic violence.
Since joining CSSJ, Yolanda has beena organized in her community to ensure
that people that are on the front linesto violence are working towards safety
(00:43):
solutions and expanded access to resourcesto help survivors, to help families
rebuild their lives after violence.
So, we're excited to talk to you, Yolanda,about your work and all the ideas that
you have for supporting survivors, notonly in Philadelphia, across the state of
Pennsylvania, but also across the country.
Welcome, Yolanda.
Yolanda Jennings (01:05):
Thank you so much.
I'm glad to be here.
Aswad Thomas (01:07):
Let's jump right into it.
So, Yolanda, you are one of ournewest Crime Survivors for Safety
and Justice chapter coordinators.
So would you begin by telling us aboutyour community, uh, in Philadelphia,
what you love about it, and alsowhat are some of the challenges
the city is facing right now?
Yolanda Jennings (01:24):
First of all, I love Philadelphia.
It's a very diverse city.
I think the fact that it is asanctuary city and so many people
come from across the world, um,really makes it interesting.
I love that each community hasits own unique personality.
(01:47):
The biggest challenges, unfortunatelyright now, of course, is the gun
violence, the opioid epidemic,the homelessness, the high taxes.
Yeah, we got a lot of struggles,challenges going on here, but we
got a lot of people out here workingand we trying to create change.
Aswad Thomas (02:10):
Thank you for sharing.
When I think about Philadelphia, I thinkabout, you know, the Rocky movie, right?
Yolanda Jennings (02:15):
Mm-hmm.
[laughs].
Aswad Thomas (02:15):
I, I think about him running up, uh, those stairs and,
you know, every time he got knockeddown, he, he bounced back up.
Uh, when I think about Philadelphia, Ithink about someone like Allen Iverson.
Yolanda Jennings (02:24):
Yes.
Aswad Thomas (02:25):
Um, you know, you know, someone who was just amazing on the
basketball court and just like so manythousands of people in Philadelphia.
It's the resiliency.
Yolanda Jennings (02:32):
Yes.
Aswad Thomas (02:32):
Uh, it's the strength.
It's, it's the, it's thenever, uh, letting go.
It's the, it's the fight tocontinue making the city better.
Um, and I see that in you as well.
Yolanda Jennings (02:42):
Thank you.
Aswad Thomas (02:42):
So, you know, I don't wanna talk a little bit more
about your background and alsoyour survivor, uh, experiences.
And if you're comfortable,uh, with sharing some of your
story and your family's story.
You know, what sort of experiences put youon the path to becoming an advocate for,
uh, survivor of intimate partner violence?
Yolanda Jennings (03:01):
I'm actually a survivor.
Many crimes have been perpetratedagainst me, including sexual
assault, um, and domestic violence.
And for me, with domestic violence,it's been some years, been many years
now, thank goodness that I was ableto be delivered from that situation.
(03:22):
And after that, one of the things thatI remember the most is being ashamed,
feeling alone, and just being terrified.
And, and I think the alone partreally bothered me the most.
Um, not to have anybody that I couldactually talk to without judgment.
(03:48):
And so I've pretty muchbeen out here on my own.
You know, if I saw it, um, I'm gonnabe the first one to call the police,
or, you know, I've even stepped in,I'm kind of risking my life [laughs]
because nobody did that for me.
And so I wanted to make sure that somebodyelse did not have to experience that.
(04:12):
Unfortunately, even though there are acouple people who will say that I, I've
saved their life, I was not able tosave my only biological sister's life.
She was murdered in 2004,Inglewood, California, and she was
stabbed to death by her fiance.
(04:33):
After that, I had made a decision thatI would work in this field and that
I would do all that I can so that mysister's death would not be in vain.
And then in 2019, my cousin was alsomurdered and the father of her three
(04:55):
children shot her to death multiple times.
It just basically solidifiedfor me what my purpose was.
I had never experienced domesticviolence prior to that one situation.
I was blessed to have good father,grandfather, and it was just one
(05:17):
of the most horrific things inmy life to just feel trapped.
And that's what brought me to this path.
Aswad Thomas (05:26):
Thank you for sharing your experience and also just a tragic
experience of your sister and your cousin.
I wanna kind of hear a littlebit more from you about your own
experiences as a victim of sexualassault and domestic violence.
You know, doing this work, Yolanda, acrossthe country, the stories, especially
the stories of African American womenwho have been victimized, there's, you
(05:49):
know, just that consistent theme ofnot getting any help or services from
the justice system or victim services.
After your experience, uh, of being a, avictim of multiple crimes, what type of
support or services were available to you?
Yolanda Jennings (06:03):
Back then, not many.
Not many.
And, and I honestly can'tsay that it's that great now.
A lot of times people say, "Oh,there's all these services."
But in reality, that's not true.
And a lot of women are dyingevery day from domestic violence.
(06:26):
And I feel like a lot of people don'treally take it seriously because they say,
"Oh, well, why doesn't she just leave?"
And they don't realize that 50to 75% of domestic homicides
happen after the victim leaves.
(06:46):
So it's not simple.
It's not as simple as just leaving.
Oftentimes they don't have the money orthe resources to be able to just leave.
When there are children involved,it's even more difficult.
I know for myself, it was not that simple.
(07:07):
I tried to leave on multiple occasionsand he would stalk me, he would find me.
He even came to a shelterand I had to be moved.
Really, it was only by the grace ofGod that got me out of that situation
because he got arrested on a differentcharge and was sent to prison.
(07:31):
But six years after he got outtaprison, I look up and he was at my job.
And so it's not that simple.
I'm just thankful that I'mstill here to talk about it.
And I feel an obligation to spreadawareness because my life was
(07:52):
spared because I could have easilybeen my sister or my cousin.
Aswad Thomas (07:58):
Just total neglect of services, right.
Total neglect of protection for you.
Um, and so many survivors foryour sister and your cousin.
You talked about, you know, thosewere the experience that kind of
led you down this new chapter ofgetting involved, uh, in advocacy.
At CSSJ, one of our main themesis from healing to action.
(08:21):
I'm just curious, you know,how has advocating not only for
yourself, but for others, helpedyou on your own healing journey?
And how do you see the relationshipbetween healing and activism?
Yolanda Jennings (08:33):
I'm gonna just be real honest with you.
When I started, when I went to myfirst domestic violence awareness
walk, I was actually homeless.
I didn't have a job.
I felt like a failure as a mother,I just felt like a failure period.
And I needed something positive to notthink about my situation at the time.
(09:00):
And to be totallyhonest, it saved my life.
It gave me a purpose.
It has allowed me to grow as a personbecause prior to that, I was very
much a quiet, to myself person.
I really didn't have alot of people in my life.
(09:23):
I'm still pretty much a loner, butall the people that I'm connected to
are people who are really positiveand they out here doing positive
things and out here doing this work.
And so it allowed me not to bealone anymore because I could
connect with people who hadsimilar interest, similar beliefs.
(09:46):
It just really helped me grow as a person.
And I really love my life now.
I really love it.
Aswad Thomas (09:54):
That's great to hear.
And I, and I know you love helping people.
I know you love working with survivors.
And you know, for people out there whoare listening who have ever felt powerless
or victimized at any point in their life,do you think there's a benefit to taking
on, uh, activism and advocacy work?
And how has that continued to personally,you know, ground you in this work of
(10:15):
uplifting and empowering other survivors?
Yolanda Jennings (10:18):
There are so many things to be gained from being an advocate.
So many skills that you develop, skillsthat you didn't even know that you had
to be able to share with other people,to know that your story matters, to
know that you are not the only one.
(10:40):
And when people come up tome and say, "Thank you so
much, you really inspired me."
That really, really getsto the core of my heart.
And then I'm reminded thatI'm doing the right thing.
I think it's really important for peopleto stand up for what they believe in
and to be open to sharing their story.
(11:03):
Because you have no idea howmany people out there who feel
like they're the only one.
And your story might be that onestory that they can identify with.
And they go like, "Wow, okay.
I'm not the only one.
There's not something wrong with me.
I'm not alone."
(11:23):
So absolutely, I, I justthink that's really important.
Aswad Thomas (11:28):
So if you are a survivor out there, or if you have a, a community
organization and you want to connect toa network of survivors, especially in
Philadelphia, uh, where Yolanda leadsour CSSJ Philadelphia chapter, go to
our website, go to our website rightnow, cssj.org, uh, and become a member
of Crime Survivor Safety and Justice toconnect with other survivors, also to
(11:51):
get involved in advocacy, um, as well.
Yolanda would love to talk a little bitmore about your work at the community
level with the amazing organization therein Philadelphia called The Purple House.
So can you tell us a bit about, uh, PurpleHouse and how it works to support those
recovering from intimate partner violence?
Yolanda Jennings (12:09):
Sure.
So it's called Purple House Project PA andit was founded by Christine Joy Brunson.
It's not a direct service organization.
There are other organizations thatdeal with providing people with
certain types of resources likehousing and all that kind of stuff.
(12:30):
We take a more holistic approach.
Christine likes to be a source of joybecause a lot of times when you are
in a domestic violence situation, youdon't have a lot of joy in your life.
And we like to connectpeople with resources.
Like sometimes they need amassage or we come together and
(12:55):
eat together and talk together.
Sometimes there are other clientswho do, like I said, they feel alone.
We are able to bringthese clients together.
We also do educating andtalking about red flags and
understanding how the system works.
One of our things this past year waseducating people on the intersection of
(13:21):
domestic violence and incarcerated women.
And we are currently doing a bradrive because we found out that
a lot of those women don't havethe luxury of just having a bra.
We also know that almost, I believethey said, I think I read it was like
(13:41):
94% of women who are incarceratedhave been victims of abuse.
And so we educate on these type of things.
Couple of years ago, our focus wasperiod poverty because a lot of
people didn't understand that there'sa lack of just being able to get
(14:03):
supplies, you know, on a monthly basis.
So these are the type of thingsthat we, that we tackle and
that we try to help with.
We do a lot of collaboration.
We have a huge network thatwe can refer people to.
We are connected with enterpriserental and we have a connection
(14:25):
to a mortgage company.
And so these are the kind of thingsthat Purple House Project does.
We don't have a physical spaceat this time, that's why it's
called Purple House Project.
Hopefully we will be able to havethat because, uh, Christine's vision
is to create a one stop shop wherepeople can come get therapy, get the
(14:47):
things that they need, even, you know,medical care, all that kind of stuff.
That's, that's the big vision.
Aswad Thomas (14:53):
That's amazing.
Just to hear about the, the work, thePurple House Project PA and also the
non-traditional services that are beingprovided in the victim services field.
You know, we often think aboutthe services, obviously they need
counseling, they need help withprocessing the victim application
form, they need housing support.
But there's also so many non-traditionalways of helping people heal.
(15:15):
As you mentioned, you know, thingslike getting a massage, right?
That's one of the criticalcomponents that we offer at Survivor
Speak for our survivor members.
You talked about breaking bread andeating with folks and providing that
peer-to-peer support, which is, you know,o- often aren't seen as victim services,
but they are 'cause they're helpingpeople kill and recover from violence.
(15:35):
So how do organizations like, uh, PurpleHouse Project PA bridge the gap between
what survivors of violence need versuswhat kind of support that they may or
may not get through the, uh, criminaljustice system or victim services?
Yolanda Jennings (15:50):
We collaborate with other organizations and
we get referrals of clients.
I'm actually the, thedirector of public relations.
I'm on the board of directors andmy job is to get the word out via
social media and that kind of thing.
So that is how we connect.
(16:12):
We do events where we goto community events and uh,
provide tables with information.
Aswad Thomas (16:19):
That's awesome, great to hear.
And if you are out there, if you arelistening and wanted to get involved
in the, or, or even donate, uh,resources to the Purple House project,
go to purplehouseprojectpa.org.
Uh, Yolanda, so you, uh, justlaunched your Crime Survivors
for Safety and Justice chapterin Philadelphia a few months ago.
And I know you have a lot ofideas for building out more safety
(16:41):
solutions and opportunities toengage folks in Philadelphia.
So would love to hear from you.
What are some of the ways youwould like to expand your Crime
Survivors for Safety and JusticePhiladelphia chapter in your community?
Yolanda Jennings (16:52):
One of the ways is I found that once I started doing this,
that there are smaller organizations outhere that people don't even know about.
And so, one of the things thatI would like to do is to bring
these organizations all together.
Oftentimes it's too much competitionand we need to realize that we can serve
(17:17):
more people when we serve them together.
And there might be some resourcethat Purple House Project, for
instance, might have that if wecollaborate we can do bigger and
better things to help the community.
So one of my big things has just beengoing out here, just finding out who
(17:38):
has these organizations, reachingout, talking to people individually
and trying to bring us all together.
I'm not gonna say that that it's aneasy task, but I'm up for the task and
I've made some really great connectionsalready so far and, and I'm excited.
(17:59):
I'm really excited.
Aswad Thomas (18:01):
I'm excited to see the growth of your leadership with Crime
Survivors for Safety and Justice.
And I know you were part of thepanel at our annual Survivor Speak
virtual conference last year andalso decided to see the growth of our
chapter and our members there in thework that they're doing, uh, ready
to community organizing and, andstorytelling and, and policy changes.
At Crime Survivors for Safety andJustice we're getting ready for
(18:22):
the 2023 Survivor Speak season.
So this year will be yoursecond Survivor Speak event.
The first one was last year inPennsylvania and that was the
first time we actually met at theSurvivor Speak Pennsylvania events.
You know, what was that, uh, e- experiencelike for you to participate in Survivor
speak Pennsylvania and bringing hundredsof members to the state capitol.
Yolanda Jennings (18:43):
I literally had never heard of Crime Survivors for
Safety and Justice until like maybetwo weeks before Survivors Speak.
Purple House Project took on theproject of recruiting people,
so that was pretty much my job.
I was excited immediately.
And I believe I went to the firstmeeting with Jonathan and, and Alex
(19:08):
and I was like, "Oh my goodness."
What really I loved about CrimeSurvivors is the training that we get.
How Crime Survivors hold yourhand every step of the way.
It shows you exactly how to do it,what to say so that you're not out
here feeling like terrified and notknowing what to do or what to say.
(19:33):
And then on the trip to CrimeSurvivors, it was just really exciting.
It was, you know, on the bus gettingto meet the ladies that came and
it was just a real camaraderieright from the very beginning.
And then when once we got toHarrisburg seeing all the people,
(19:53):
it was like really, really exciting.
I think the thing that I loved themost was getting a chance to be a voice
and talk to, uh, state representative.
I had the pleasure of talking tostate representative Wendy Thomas.
And that was exciting 'cause I'm like, Ihad never been in the State House before
(20:16):
and it was just an exciting experience.
When we stood on the steps of the statecapitol and we all came together, it was
so, so powerful to support each other.
And I had the opportunity to, um,stand up for domestic violence
(20:37):
victims during the candlelight visual.
And all I could say is thatit was a surreal experience.
Everybody felt like they wanted more[laughs], like it was over too fast.
And I remember us on the bus cominghome, I think that probably was the
most powerful after Survivors Speak,coming home on the buses and us coming
(21:03):
together and sharing our storieswith each other on the way home.
And one of the things that Iremember the most was, it was a young
lady that we had brought with us.
She had just gotten outof a domestic situation.
She was actually in a shelter at thattime, and originally she was at the
(21:26):
back of the bus and we were all inthe back of the bus talking, but she
was in that last seat and she waslike all the way, like in the corner.
But as everybody started sharing,I watched her scoot up a little bit
more and scoot up a little bit moreand scoot up a little bit more.
(21:47):
And then she just starts spilling it.
That moment right there, I, I, Ican't even tell you, there's no
words to describe that moment.
And if anything, if it was justfor that one person, if it was just
for that one person to know thatshe wasn't alone and that her story
(22:11):
mattered, it was worth it all.
It was really just awesome experience.
Aswad Thomas (22:16):
That's incredible.
And this is why we callit Survivor Speak, right?
And you know, this is myfirst time hearing Yolanda.
What is that experiencelike on the bus, right?
You know, you get there the morning,you have that press conference on a, on
the Capitol steps, you have that healingvision, that candlelight moment, and
then walk to the back of the Capitol.
(22:37):
Right?
We are having lunch, we'redoing legislative visits, right.
We're, we're dancing-
Yolanda Jennings (22:42):
Yes.
... Aswad Thomas (22:42):
right?
We're celebrating, we'recrying, we're hugging.
Yolanda Jennings (22:44):
Yes.
Aswad Thomas (22:44):
Um, so many different experiences throughout that day.
But that was my first time hearing fromwhat it's like on the bus, going back
home and the types of conversations thatsurvivors have and also the support, uh,
that you all provide to each other, butalso to that young lady as well who, you
know, is, is on that beginning journey,right, of getting involved in organizing
(23:07):
and getting involved in advocacy.
'Cause that's part of the healingjourney for all of us, right?
When I was a survivor, um, youknow, my main focus was recovering,
um, my main focus was healing.
Uh, but then I started to wantingto make that change, right.
And wanting to get involved in advocacy.
And so I'm looking forward toseeing, you know, all of the
members come back, uh, next year.
(23:28):
And I, and also even more membersto get on that bus as well.
Yolanda Jennings (23:32):
There was also a young man, he was like 19 years old and he
almost got left because [laughs], itwas his first time at the State House
and he was just like in total awe.
And he almost got left because he wasso busy just taking in everything.
(23:56):
And so it's so many differentways that different people
get different things from it.
I can't wait.
I, I can't wait to this year.
Aswad Thomas (24:05):
So what are you looking forward to at this year's event and
what do you think becomes possiblewhen we bring together from cities like
Philadelphia, those cities that are mostimpacted by violence, what's possible
when we bring people together to create ashared vision of, of safety and healing?
Yolanda Jennings (24:21):
Well, you know, we got our chant.
You know, when survivorsspeak, change happens.
That's what happens.
Change happens.
It doesn't just happen.
We go there for advocacy and tochange laws, but people change.
And people's perception of where they'reat in their journey of healing changes,
(24:47):
I think people feel more empowered.
Aswad Thomas (24:50):
And that's what we will continue to grow your leadership, to
grow our members leadership, but mostimportantly, to make sure that the
voices of survivors are at the centerof public policy-making, to make sure
that organizations like Purple HouseProject get the funding that they need
to get that building so they can providemore services to hire more staff.
That's why we do this work.
(25:12):
And as you mentioned earlier, youknow, this work is hard, especially
for us as survivors and, and workingon behalf of other, uh, survivors.
Self-care is very, uh,important for all of us.
What inspires you and gives youthe most strength to keep working,
to make change in your community?
Are there people you lean on, youknow, to bring you some lightness
or some laughter on, uh, hard days?
(25:33):
We'd love to hear more fromyou about those things.
Yolanda Jennings (25:36):
First of all, I just wanna say everything I do that
I'm connected with is like heavy.
In my day job by, um,working social services.
And then I do Purple Houseproject and then Crime Survivors
for Safety and Justice.
And it can become a lot.
And so some of the ways that Ipractice self-care is just taking
(26:02):
that time to just be by myself.
Sometimes I like to justturn everything off.
No TV, no nothing, just quiet.
I am surrounded by women who workin social services and who are
(26:22):
therapists and I can connect withthem and, and we talk, you know, we
get together and have fun and laugh.
My church, you know, going tochurch and getting my praise on.
I often tell people like, I love goingto church and I'm a praiser, okay.
And I'm loud.
(26:43):
And that's the only place that I feellike I can go and I could just get
my praise on and holler at the topof my lungs and people don't think
I'm crazy [laughs] because sometimesyou just need that release, you know?
Aswad Thomas (27:00):
Yep.
Yolanda Jennings (27:01):
I also had the opportunity...
Therapy I think is, is really important.
And I'm gonna be honest with you,I've really had some bad experiences
with therapy and I pretty much didn'twant anything to do with therapy.
But Crime Survivors for Safety andJustice provided me an opportunity to
(27:23):
take advantage through, um, BetterHelp.
And I was able toconnect with a therapist.
And that really definitelyhelped because like last year
I had just started this job.
It was very overwhelming.
All the responsibilities that Ihad were like, it got to a point
(27:44):
where it was very overwhelming andI was starting to feel burnt out.
And so being able to, you know,talk and get therapy was a
really important piece to that.
And then, you know, just get out of thecity, see a different place going to
a movie or watching Abbott Elementary,[laughs], you know, to get a good laugh.
(28:09):
So those are some of the things that I do.
Aswad Thomas (28:12):
That's awesome.
And a lot of, uh, great ideas for allof us on, you know, prioritizing our
wellbeing in our self-care and alsosurrounding yourself with people you know,
who have those similar interests as well.
Yolanda, my last question for you.
So in Pennsylvania there's beenincreased violence in the city.
Record numbers of homicides in the cityis a key priority for Crime Survivors
(28:35):
for Safety and Justice in the state,is, is, it is working to launch a trauma
recovery, uh, center in Philadelphia,a place where people can go to get the
help and the support that they need.
Just, you know, just would love to hearfrom you if there was one or even two
trauma recovery centers in Philadelphia,what do you think the impact of, of
(28:56):
that service is would be for survivorsin, in communities in Philadelphia?
Yolanda Jennings (29:00):
I think it would be major.
I feel like one of our bigcrisis is a mental health crisis.
And those people have these mentalhealth crisis because they've been
victimized, they have generational trauma.
And so I think that a trauma recoverycenter would be a really awesome
(29:23):
opportunity for people to get some of thehelp that they're not necessarily given.
Like I said, therapy, we keeptelling people, get therapy,
get therapy, get therapy.
But therapy costs money and it's expensiveand it's hard to find quality therapy.
(29:45):
And so I think having a trauma recoverycenter would really benefit those people
who, who want the help and need the help.
But you know, it's justnot available to them.
Aswad Thomas (30:02):
So let's make it our mission.
I know with your leadership,Yolanda, we're gonna bring
Philadelphia it's first TraumaRecovery Centers to help communities
and families heal from violence.
Uh, Yolanda, it was amazingtalking with you today.
You know, just thank youso much for your work.
Thank you for your passion and forsharing your powerful story with us.
If you all are out there listeningto learn more about the Purple House
(30:24):
Project and the work that they do,go to www.purplehouseprojectpa.org.
If you want to join Yolanda's CrimeSurvivors for Safety and Justice
Philadelphia chapter, uh, you can goto the website at www.cssj.org to join
our Pennsylvania Philadelphia chapter.
Or if you want to get involved withother chapters across the country
(30:47):
or join our email list, you cantune into the Crime Survivor Speak
podcast at all streaming platforms.
So you can look for us onYouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify,
and other streaming platforms.
Yolanda, as you said earlier, whensurvivors speak, change happens.
Yolanda Jennings (31:06):
Change happens.
Yes.
Aswad Thomas (31:08):
And you've been making the change happen.
Uh, so thank you so much.
Uh, we appreciate you and we're lookingforward to your leadership as we work
the change laws in Pennsylvania, butalso as we bring hundreds of survivors
to the state capitol to make sure ourvoices are at the center of public policy.
So thank you so much and thank youall for tuning in to today's episode
of the Crime Survivor Speak podcast.
(31:30):
Talk to you soon.
Welcome to Crime Survivors Speak Podcast.
My name is Aswad Thomas.
I'm the National Director of CrimeSurvivors for Safety and Justice.
We are now a national network of over181,000 members from across the country.
So we're back with another episode,another amazing member of Crime
(00:21):
Survivors for Safety and Justice.
Our guest today is Miss Yolanda Jennings.
She's an advocate from Philadelphiawhere she works to support survivors
recovering from domestic violence.
Since joining CSSJ, Yolanda has beena organized in her community to ensure
that people that are on the front linesto violence are working towards safety
(00:43):
solutions and expanded access to resourcesto help survivors, to help families
rebuild their lives after violence.
So, we're excited to talk to you, Yolanda,about your work and all the ideas that
you have for supporting survivors, notonly in Philadelphia, across the state of
Pennsylvania, but also across the country.
Welcome, Yolanda.
Yolanda Jennings (01:05):
Thank you so much.
I'm glad to be here.
Aswad Thomas (01:07):
Let's jump right into it.
So, Yolanda, you are one of ournewest Crime Survivors for Safety
and Justice chapter coordinators.
So would you begin by telling us aboutyour community, uh, in Philadelphia,
what you love about it, and alsowhat are some of the challenges
the city is facing right now?
Yolanda Jennings (01:24):
First of all, I love Philadelphia.
It's a very diverse city.
I think the fact that it is asanctuary city and so many people
come from across the world, um,really makes it interesting.
I love that each community hasits own unique personality.
(01:47):
The biggest challenges, unfortunatelyright now, of course, is the gun
violence, the opioid epidemic,the homelessness, the high taxes.
Yeah, we got a lot of struggles,challenges going on here, but we
got a lot of people out here workingand we trying to create change.
Aswad Thomas (02:10):
Thank you for sharing.
When I think about Philadelphia, I thinkabout, you know, the Rocky movie, right?
Yolanda Jennings (02:15):
Mm-hmm.
[laughs].
Aswad Thomas (02:15):
I, I think about him running up, uh, those stairs and,
you know, every time he got knockeddown, he, he bounced back up.
Uh, when I think about Philadelphia, Ithink about someone like Allen Iverson.
Yolanda Jennings (02:24):
Yes.
Aswad Thomas (02:25):
Um, you know, you know, someone who was just amazing on the
basketball court and just like so manythousands of people in Philadelphia.
It's the resiliency.
Yolanda Jennings (02:32):
Yes.
Aswad Thomas (02:32):
Uh, it's the strength.
It's, it's the, it's thenever, uh, letting go.
It's the, it's the fight tocontinue making the city better.
Um, and I see that in you as well.
Yolanda Jennings (02:42):
Thank you.
Aswad Thomas (02:42):
So, you know, I don't wanna talk a little bit more
about your background and alsoyour survivor, uh, experiences.
And if you're comfortable,uh, with sharing some of your
story and your family's story.
You know, what sort of experiences put youon the path to becoming an advocate for,
uh, survivor of intimate partner violence?
Yolanda Jennings (03:01):
I'm actually a survivor.
Many crimes have been perpetratedagainst me, including sexual
assault, um, and domestic violence.
And for me, with domestic violence,it's been some years, been many years
now, thank goodness that I was ableto be delivered from that situation.
(03:22):
And after that, one of the things thatI remember the most is being ashamed,
feeling alone, and just being terrified.
And, and I think the alone partreally bothered me the most.
Um, not to have anybody that I couldactually talk to without judgment.
(03:48):
And so I've pretty muchbeen out here on my own.
You know, if I saw it, um, I'm gonnabe the first one to call the police,
or, you know, I've even stepped in,I'm kind of risking my life [laughs]
because nobody did that for me.
And so I wanted to make sure that somebodyelse did not have to experience that.
(04:12):
Unfortunately, even though there are acouple people who will say that I, I've
saved their life, I was not able tosave my only biological sister's life.
She was murdered in 2004,Inglewood, California, and she was
stabbed to death by her fiance.
(04:33):
After that, I had made a decision thatI would work in this field and that
I would do all that I can so that mysister's death would not be in vain.
And then in 2019, my cousin was alsomurdered and the father of her three
(04:55):
children shot her to death multiple times.
It just basically solidifiedfor me what my purpose was.
I had never experienced domesticviolence prior to that one situation.
I was blessed to have good father,grandfather, and it was just one
(05:17):
of the most horrific things inmy life to just feel trapped.
And that's what brought me to this path.
Aswad Thomas (05:26):
Thank you for sharing your experience and also just a tragic
experience of your sister and your cousin.
I wanna kind of hear a littlebit more from you about your own
experiences as a victim of sexualassault and domestic violence.
You know, doing this work, Yolanda, acrossthe country, the stories, especially
the stories of African American womenwho have been victimized, there's, you
(05:49):
know, just that consistent theme ofnot getting any help or services from
the justice system or victim services.
After your experience, uh, of being a, avictim of multiple crimes, what type of
support or services were available to you?
Yolanda Jennings (06:03):
Back then, not many.
Not many.
And, and I honestly can'tsay that it's that great now.
A lot of times people say, "Oh,there's all these services."
But in reality, that's not true.
And a lot of women are dyingevery day from domestic violence.
(06:26):
And I feel like a lot of people don'treally take it seriously because they say,
"Oh, well, why doesn't she just leave?"
And they don't realize that 50to 75% of domestic homicides
happen after the victim leaves.
(06:46):
So it's not simple.
It's not as simple as just leaving.
Oftentimes they don't have the money orthe resources to be able to just leave.
When there are children involved,it's even more difficult.
I know for myself, it was not that simple.
(07:07):
I tried to leave on multiple occasionsand he would stalk me, he would find me.
He even came to a shelterand I had to be moved.
Really, it was only by the grace ofGod that got me out of that situation
because he got arrested on a differentcharge and was sent to prison.
(07:31):
But six years after he got outtaprison, I look up and he was at my job.
And so it's not that simple.
I'm just thankful that I'mstill here to talk about it.
And I feel an obligation to spreadawareness because my life was
(07:52):
spared because I could have easilybeen my sister or my cousin.
Aswad Thomas (07:58):
Just total neglect of services, right.
Total neglect of protection for you.
Um, and so many survivors foryour sister and your cousin.
You talked about, you know, thosewere the experience that kind of
led you down this new chapter ofgetting involved, uh, in advocacy.
At CSSJ, one of our main themesis from healing to action.
(08:21):
I'm just curious, you know,how has advocating not only for
yourself, but for others, helpedyou on your own healing journey?
And how do you see the relationshipbetween healing and activism?
Yolanda Jennings (08:33):
I'm gonna just be real honest with you.
When I started, when I went to myfirst domestic violence awareness
walk, I was actually homeless.
I didn't have a job.
I felt like a failure as a mother,I just felt like a failure period.
And I needed something positive to notthink about my situation at the time.
(09:00):
And to be totallyhonest, it saved my life.
It gave me a purpose.
It has allowed me to grow as a personbecause prior to that, I was very
much a quiet, to myself person.
I really didn't have alot of people in my life.
(09:23):
I'm still pretty much a loner, butall the people that I'm connected to
are people who are really positiveand they out here doing positive
things and out here doing this work.
And so it allowed me not to bealone anymore because I could
connect with people who hadsimilar interest, similar beliefs.
(09:46):
It just really helped me grow as a person.
And I really love my life now.
I really love it.
Aswad Thomas (09:54):
That's great to hear.
And I, and I know you love helping people.
I know you love working with survivors.
And you know, for people out there whoare listening who have ever felt powerless
or victimized at any point in their life,do you think there's a benefit to taking
on, uh, activism and advocacy work?
And how has that continued to personally,you know, ground you in this work of
(10:15):
uplifting and empowering other survivors?
Yolanda Jennings (10:18):
There are so many things to be gained from being an advocate.
So many skills that you develop, skillsthat you didn't even know that you had
to be able to share with other people,to know that your story matters, to
know that you are not the only one.
(10:40):
And when people come up tome and say, "Thank you so
much, you really inspired me."
That really, really getsto the core of my heart.
And then I'm reminded thatI'm doing the right thing.
I think it's really important for peopleto stand up for what they believe in
and to be open to sharing their story.
(11:03):
Because you have no idea howmany people out there who feel
like they're the only one.
And your story might be that onestory that they can identify with.
And they go like, "Wow, okay.
I'm not the only one.
There's not something wrong with me.
I'm not alone."
(11:23):
So absolutely, I, I justthink that's really important.
Aswad Thomas (11:28):
So if you are a survivor out there, or if you have a, a community
organization and you want to connect toa network of survivors, especially in
Philadelphia, uh, where Yolanda leadsour CSSJ Philadelphia chapter, go to
our website, go to our website rightnow, cssj.org, uh, and become a member
of Crime Survivor Safety and Justice toconnect with other survivors, also to
(11:51):
get involved in advocacy, um, as well.
Yolanda would love to talk a little bitmore about your work at the community
level with the amazing organization therein Philadelphia called The Purple House.
So can you tell us a bit about, uh, PurpleHouse and how it works to support those
recovering from intimate partner violence?
Yolanda Jennings (12:09):
Sure.
So it's called Purple House Project PA andit was founded by Christine Joy Brunson.
It's not a direct service organization.
There are other organizations thatdeal with providing people with
certain types of resources likehousing and all that kind of stuff.
(12:30):
We take a more holistic approach.
Christine likes to be a source of joybecause a lot of times when you are
in a domestic violence situation, youdon't have a lot of joy in your life.
And we like to connectpeople with resources.
Like sometimes they need amassage or we come together and
(12:55):
eat together and talk together.
Sometimes there are other clientswho do, like I said, they feel alone.
We are able to bringthese clients together.
We also do educating andtalking about red flags and
understanding how the system works.
One of our things this past year waseducating people on the intersection of
(13:21):
domestic violence and incarcerated women.
And we are currently doing a bradrive because we found out that
a lot of those women don't havethe luxury of just having a bra.
We also know that almost, I believethey said, I think I read it was like
(13:41):
94% of women who are incarceratedhave been victims of abuse.
And so we educate on these type of things.
Couple of years ago, our focus wasperiod poverty because a lot of
people didn't understand that there'sa lack of just being able to get
(14:03):
supplies, you know, on a monthly basis.
So these are the type of thingsthat we, that we tackle and
that we try to help with.
We do a lot of collaboration.
We have a huge network thatwe can refer people to.
We are connected with enterpriserental and we have a connection
(14:25):
to a mortgage company.
And so these are the kind of thingsthat Purple House Project does.
We don't have a physical spaceat this time, that's why it's
called Purple House Project.
Hopefully we will be able to havethat because, uh, Christine's vision
is to create a one stop shop wherepeople can come get therapy, get the
(14:47):
things that they need, even, you know,medical care, all that kind of stuff.
That's, that's the big vision.
Aswad Thomas (14:53):
That's amazing.
Just to hear about the, the work, thePurple House Project PA and also the
non-traditional services that are beingprovided in the victim services field.
You know, we often think aboutthe services, obviously they need
counseling, they need help withprocessing the victim application
form, they need housing support.
But there's also so many non-traditionalways of helping people heal.
(15:15):
As you mentioned, you know, thingslike getting a massage, right?
That's one of the criticalcomponents that we offer at Survivor
Speak for our survivor members.
You talked about breaking bread andeating with folks and providing that
peer-to-peer support, which is, you know,o- often aren't seen as victim services,
but they are 'cause they're helpingpeople kill and recover from violence.
(15:35):
So how do organizations like, uh, PurpleHouse Project PA bridge the gap between
what survivors of violence need versuswhat kind of support that they may or
may not get through the, uh, criminaljustice system or victim services?
Yolanda Jennings (15:50):
We collaborate with other organizations and
we get referrals of clients.
I'm actually the, thedirector of public relations.
I'm on the board of directors andmy job is to get the word out via
social media and that kind of thing.
So that is how we connect.
(16:12):
We do events where we goto community events and uh,
provide tables with information.
Aswad Thomas (16:19):
That's awesome, great to hear.
And if you are out there, if you arelistening and wanted to get involved
in the, or, or even donate, uh,resources to the Purple House project,
go to purplehouseprojectpa.org.
Uh, Yolanda, so you, uh, justlaunched your Crime Survivors
for Safety and Justice chapterin Philadelphia a few months ago.
And I know you have a lot ofideas for building out more safety
(16:41):
solutions and opportunities toengage folks in Philadelphia.
So would love to hear from you.
What are some of the ways youwould like to expand your Crime
Survivors for Safety and JusticePhiladelphia chapter in your community?
Yolanda Jennings (16:52):
One of the ways is I found that once I started doing this,
that there are smaller organizations outhere that people don't even know about.
And so, one of the things thatI would like to do is to bring
these organizations all together.
Oftentimes it's too much competitionand we need to realize that we can serve
(17:17):
more people when we serve them together.
And there might be some resourcethat Purple House Project, for
instance, might have that if wecollaborate we can do bigger and
better things to help the community.
So one of my big things has just beengoing out here, just finding out who
(17:38):
has these organizations, reachingout, talking to people individually
and trying to bring us all together.
I'm not gonna say that that it's aneasy task, but I'm up for the task and
I've made some really great connectionsalready so far and, and I'm excited.
(17:59):
I'm really excited.
Aswad Thomas (18:01):
I'm excited to see the growth of your leadership with Crime
Survivors for Safety and Justice.
And I know you were part of thepanel at our annual Survivor Speak
virtual conference last year andalso decided to see the growth of our
chapter and our members there in thework that they're doing, uh, ready
to community organizing and, andstorytelling and, and policy changes.
At Crime Survivors for Safety andJustice we're getting ready for
(18:22):
the 2023 Survivor Speak season.
So this year will be yoursecond Survivor Speak event.
The first one was last year inPennsylvania and that was the
first time we actually met at theSurvivor Speak Pennsylvania events.
You know, what was that, uh, e- experiencelike for you to participate in Survivor
speak Pennsylvania and bringing hundredsof members to the state capitol.
Yolanda Jennings (18:43):
I literally had never heard of Crime Survivors for
Safety and Justice until like maybetwo weeks before Survivors Speak.
Purple House Project took on theproject of recruiting people,
so that was pretty much my job.
I was excited immediately.
And I believe I went to the firstmeeting with Jonathan and, and Alex
(19:08):
and I was like, "Oh my goodness."
What really I loved about CrimeSurvivors is the training that we get.
How Crime Survivors hold yourhand every step of the way.
It shows you exactly how to do it,what to say so that you're not out
here feeling like terrified and notknowing what to do or what to say.
(19:33):
And then on the trip to CrimeSurvivors, it was just really exciting.
It was, you know, on the bus gettingto meet the ladies that came and
it was just a real camaraderieright from the very beginning.
And then when once we got toHarrisburg seeing all the people,
(19:53):
it was like really, really exciting.
I think the thing that I loved themost was getting a chance to be a voice
and talk to, uh, state representative.
I had the pleasure of talking tostate representative Wendy Thomas.
And that was exciting 'cause I'm like, Ihad never been in the State House before
(20:16):
and it was just an exciting experience.
When we stood on the steps of the statecapitol and we all came together, it was
so, so powerful to support each other.
And I had the opportunity to, um,stand up for domestic violence
(20:37):
victims during the candlelight visual.
And all I could say is thatit was a surreal experience.
Everybody felt like they wanted more[laughs], like it was over too fast.
And I remember us on the bus cominghome, I think that probably was the
most powerful after Survivors Speak,coming home on the buses and us coming
(21:03):
together and sharing our storieswith each other on the way home.
And one of the things that Iremember the most was, it was a young
lady that we had brought with us.
She had just gotten outof a domestic situation.
She was actually in a shelter at thattime, and originally she was at the
(21:26):
back of the bus and we were all inthe back of the bus talking, but she
was in that last seat and she waslike all the way, like in the corner.
But as everybody started sharing,I watched her scoot up a little bit
more and scoot up a little bit moreand scoot up a little bit more.
(21:47):
And then she just starts spilling it.
That moment right there, I, I, Ican't even tell you, there's no
words to describe that moment.
And if anything, if it was justfor that one person, if it was just
for that one person to know thatshe wasn't alone and that her story
(22:11):
mattered, it was worth it all.
It was really just awesome experience.
Aswad Thomas (22:16):
That's incredible.
And this is why we callit Survivor Speak, right?
And you know, this is myfirst time hearing Yolanda.
What is that experiencelike on the bus, right?
You know, you get there the morning,you have that press conference on a, on
the Capitol steps, you have that healingvision, that candlelight moment, and
then walk to the back of the Capitol.
(22:37):
Right?
We are having lunch, we'redoing legislative visits, right.
We're, we're dancing-
Yolanda Jennings (22:42):
Yes.
... Aswad Thomas (22:42):
right?
We're celebrating, we'recrying, we're hugging.
Yolanda Jennings (22:44):
Yes.
Aswad Thomas (22:44):
Um, so many different experiences throughout that day.
But that was my first time hearing fromwhat it's like on the bus, going back
home and the types of conversations thatsurvivors have and also the support, uh,
that you all provide to each other, butalso to that young lady as well who, you
know, is, is on that beginning journey,right, of getting involved in organizing
(23:07):
and getting involved in advocacy.
'Cause that's part of the healingjourney for all of us, right?
When I was a survivor, um, youknow, my main focus was recovering,
um, my main focus was healing.
Uh, but then I started to wantingto make that change, right.
And wanting to get involved in advocacy.
And so I'm looking forward toseeing, you know, all of the
members come back, uh, next year.
(23:28):
And I, and also even more membersto get on that bus as well.
Yolanda Jennings (23:32):
There was also a young man, he was like 19 years old and he
almost got left because [laughs], itwas his first time at the State House
and he was just like in total awe.
And he almost got left because he wasso busy just taking in everything.
(23:56):
And so it's so many differentways that different people
get different things from it.
I can't wait.
I, I can't wait to this year.
Aswad Thomas (24:05):
So what are you looking forward to at this year's event and
what do you think becomes possiblewhen we bring together from cities like
Philadelphia, those cities that are mostimpacted by violence, what's possible
when we bring people together to create ashared vision of, of safety and healing?
Yolanda Jennings (24:21):
Well, you know, we got our chant.
You know, when survivorsspeak, change happens.
That's what happens.
Change happens.
It doesn't just happen.
We go there for advocacy and tochange laws, but people change.
And people's perception of where they'reat in their journey of healing changes,
(24:47):
I think people feel more empowered.
Aswad Thomas (24:50):
And that's what we will continue to grow your leadership, to
grow our members leadership, but mostimportantly, to make sure that the
voices of survivors are at the centerof public policy-making, to make sure
that organizations like Purple HouseProject get the funding that they need
to get that building so they can providemore services to hire more staff.
That's why we do this work.
(25:12):
And as you mentioned earlier, youknow, this work is hard, especially
for us as survivors and, and workingon behalf of other, uh, survivors.
Self-care is very, uh,important for all of us.
What inspires you and gives youthe most strength to keep working,
to make change in your community?
Are there people you lean on, youknow, to bring you some lightness
or some laughter on, uh, hard days?
(25:33):
We'd love to hear more fromyou about those things.
Yolanda Jennings (25:36):
First of all, I just wanna say everything I do that
I'm connected with is like heavy.
In my day job by, um,working social services.
And then I do Purple Houseproject and then Crime Survivors
for Safety and Justice.
And it can become a lot.
And so some of the ways that Ipractice self-care is just taking
(26:02):
that time to just be by myself.
Sometimes I like to justturn everything off.
No TV, no nothing, just quiet.
I am surrounded by women who workin social services and who are
(26:22):
therapists and I can connect withthem and, and we talk, you know, we
get together and have fun and laugh.
My church, you know, going tochurch and getting my praise on.
I often tell people like, I love goingto church and I'm a praiser, okay.
And I'm loud.
(26:43):
And that's the only place that I feellike I can go and I could just get
my praise on and holler at the topof my lungs and people don't think
I'm crazy [laughs] because sometimesyou just need that release, you know?
Aswad Thomas (27:00):
Yep.
Yolanda Jennings (27:01):
I also had the opportunity...
Therapy I think is, is really important.
And I'm gonna be honest with you,I've really had some bad experiences
with therapy and I pretty much didn'twant anything to do with therapy.
But Crime Survivors for Safety andJustice provided me an opportunity to
(27:23):
take advantage through, um, BetterHelp.
And I was able toconnect with a therapist.
And that really definitelyhelped because like last year
I had just started this job.
It was very overwhelming.
All the responsibilities that Ihad were like, it got to a point
(27:44):
where it was very overwhelming andI was starting to feel burnt out.
And so being able to, you know,talk and get therapy was a
really important piece to that.
And then, you know, just get out of thecity, see a different place going to
a movie or watching Abbott Elementary,[laughs], you know, to get a good laugh.
(28:09):
So those are some of the things that I do.
Aswad Thomas (28:12):
That's awesome.
And a lot of, uh, great ideas for allof us on, you know, prioritizing our
wellbeing in our self-care and alsosurrounding yourself with people you know,
who have those similar interests as well.
Yolanda, my last question for you.
So in Pennsylvania there's beenincreased violence in the city.
Record numbers of homicides in the cityis a key priority for Crime Survivors
(28:35):
for Safety and Justice in the state,is, is, it is working to launch a trauma
recovery, uh, center in Philadelphia,a place where people can go to get the
help and the support that they need.
Just, you know, just would love to hearfrom you if there was one or even two
trauma recovery centers in Philadelphia,what do you think the impact of, of
(28:56):
that service is would be for survivorsin, in communities in Philadelphia?
Yolanda Jennings (29:00):
I think it would be major.
I feel like one of our bigcrisis is a mental health crisis.
And those people have these mentalhealth crisis because they've been
victimized, they have generational trauma.
And so I think that a trauma recoverycenter would be a really awesome
(29:23):
opportunity for people to get some of thehelp that they're not necessarily given.
Like I said, therapy, we keeptelling people, get therapy,
get therapy, get therapy.
But therapy costs money and it's expensiveand it's hard to find quality therapy.
(29:45):
And so I think having a trauma recoverycenter would really benefit those people
who, who want the help and need the help.
But you know, it's justnot available to them.
Aswad Thomas (30:02):
So let's make it our mission.
I know with your leadership,Yolanda, we're gonna bring
Philadelphia it's first TraumaRecovery Centers to help communities
and families heal from violence.
Uh, Yolanda, it was amazingtalking with you today.
You know, just thank youso much for your work.
Thank you for your passion and forsharing your powerful story with us.
If you all are out there listeningto learn more about the Purple House
(30:24):
Project and the work that they do,go to www.purplehouseprojectpa.org.
If you want to join Yolanda's CrimeSurvivors for Safety and Justice
Philadelphia chapter, uh, you can goto the website at www.cssj.org to join
our Pennsylvania Philadelphia chapter.
Or if you want to get involved withother chapters across the country
(30:47):
or join our email list, you cantune into the Crime Survivor Speak
podcast at all streaming platforms.
So you can look for us onYouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify,
and other streaming platforms.
Yolanda, as you said earlier, whensurvivors speak, change happens.
Yolanda Jennings (31:06):
Change happens.
Yes.
Aswad Thomas (31:08):
And you've been making the change happen.
Uh, so thank you so much.
Uh, we appreciate you and we're lookingforward to your leadership as we work
the change laws in Pennsylvania, butalso as we bring hundreds of survivors
to the state capitol to make sure ourvoices are at the center of public policy.
So thank you so much and thank youall for tuning in to today's episode
of the Crime Survivor Speak podcast.
(31:30):
Talk to you soon.
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