Today on the show, we bring you three powerful conversations centered on health, awareness, and empowerment in our communities.
🩺 Men’s Health Awareness Event
We’re joined by Dr. John Porter, Director of the Trauma Center at Cooper University Health Care, to discuss a life-saving event dedicated to men’s health. 📢 Attention, men—and those who love them!
Join us for a FREE Men’s Health Awareness Event:
👉 Register / Info: Call or text (609) 922-9279
🌐 Hosted by MD Anderson at Cooper and the Camden County Cancer Screening Project
📱 Hashtags: #CamdenMenCheckIn #TheBallIsInYourCourt #EarlyDetectionSavesLives
💜 iPledge® 2025 – Women Against Abuse
We also speak with Joanna Otero-Cruz, Executive Director of Women Against Abuse, as the organization launches its 18th annual iPledge® campaign during Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). 📢 Event Information:
📱 Social Media:
✨ Survivor, Warrior with Nicole Figueroa
Finally, we’re joined by Nicole Figueroa, Founder of Survivor, Warrior—a mother of two, entrepreneur, and survivor who turned her personal experience into a mission of hope and empowerment. 📢 Upcoming Event:
📱 Social Media:
🩺 Men’s Health Awareness Event
We’re joined by Dr. John Porter, Director of the Trauma Center at Cooper University Health Care, to discuss a life-saving event dedicated to men’s health. 📢 Attention, men—and those who love them!
Join us for a FREE Men’s Health Awareness Event:
- Date & Time: Saturday, September 27, 2025 | 11 AM – 2 PM
- Location: Malandra Hall Community Center, 1200 South Merrimac Rd., Camden, NJ 08104
- Highlights:
• Free health screenings, including PSA tests
• Expert talks from medical leaders
• Wellness resources & community support
👉 Register / Info: Call or text (609) 922-9279
🌐 Hosted by MD Anderson at Cooper and the Camden County Cancer Screening Project
📱 Hashtags: #CamdenMenCheckIn #TheBallIsInYourCourt #EarlyDetectionSavesLives
💜 iPledge® 2025 – Women Against Abuse
We also speak with Joanna Otero-Cruz, Executive Director of Women Against Abuse, as the organization launches its 18th annual iPledge® campaign during Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). 📢 Event Information:
- What: iPledge® 2025 – Press conference, rally, & resource fair
- When: Wednesday, October 1, 2025 | 12 PM EST
- Where: Courtyard of Philadelphia City Hall
- Theme: HOPE – a reminder that a safer, better future is possible when we work together
- Highlights:
• Survivor speaker Megan
• 2025 Social Impact Award honoring PA House Speaker Joanna E. McClinton
• Remarks by community leaders
• Performance by Drexel’s 8 to the Bar a cappella group
- Paint Philly Purple – October 16, 2025: Wear purple, post selfies, and use #PaintPhillyPurple.
- City Council Proclamation – October 23, 2025: 10 AM at City Hall.
📱 Social Media:
- Facebook: facebook.com/WomenAgainstAbuse
- Instagram: @womenagainstabuse
- X (Twitter): @WAAPhiladelphia
📲 Hashtags: #iPledge2025 #HOPE #PaintPhillyPurple
✨ Survivor, Warrior with Nicole Figueroa
Finally, we’re joined by Nicole Figueroa, Founder of Survivor, Warrior—a mother of two, entrepreneur, and survivor who turned her personal experience into a mission of hope and empowerment. 📢 Upcoming Event:
- 2nd Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Walk
- Date: Wednesday, October 1, 2025
- Location: Across the Ben Franklin Bridge
📱 Social Media:
- Instagram: @coliee_taught_mee
- Facebook: Colie The Survivor
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning. You're listening to Insight, a show about empowering
our community. I'm Lorraine Baller. Tomorrow we'll hear from Joanna
o'tero Cruz of Women Against Abuse on the eighteenth annual
I Pledge Campaign, and meet Nicole Figueroa, a founder of
Survivor Warrior. But first, let's talk about men's health. Did
you know that black men are sixty seven percent more
(00:21):
likely to get prostate cancer and twice as likely to
die from it. Well, there's an event that's happening Saturday,
September twenty seventh at Malandra Hall and Camden, a free
men's health awareness event sponsored by M. D. Anderson Cancer
Center at Cooper and the Camden County Cancer Screening Project.
And joining us right now someone to tell us all
(00:41):
about it, Doctor John Porter, director of the Trauma Center
at Cooper University Healthcare. Well, doctor Porter, as I mentioned before, men,
you don't take care of yourselves.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Right, Yes, we are bad at taking care of ourselves,
and we come up with a variety of excuses that
we give to the people that love us and use
on ourselves.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Well, that's why it's up to all of us who
love our men to encourage all of you to get
out and get checked. Know your numbers because black men
not only are more likely to get prostate cancer, but
there is lots of other issues as well, whether it's diabetes,
high blood pressure, heart disease, all those things.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yes, you named the big ones, and they also lead
to strokes and heart attacks. And Cooper University Healthcare not
only has the MD in Orson Cancer Center, which will
specialize in prostate cancer, which as you mentioned, is sixty
seven percent more common in black men, but also has cardiologists,
family doctors, etc. To deal with diabetes and hypertension, eating right, etc.
(01:46):
Because we have to take care of ourselves.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Absolutely, and one of the things that we are constantly
saying over and over again is know your numbers.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Right.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
That is correct, and there are many numbers which you
can know to the prostate cancers PSA, So you need to.
It's a blood test. It's a simple blood test, and
then you can track and trend that to make sure
that it's days we're supposed to stay and as it elevates,
then there's other tests that the urologists and I believe Daisy,
I know her as Daisy will be there to talk
(02:18):
specifically about this a very well trained urologist who did
a special training and cancer, and we'll talk about what
the numbers actually mean and how you can trend them
and what tests you can do to find it when
it's early, so that you'll have a better chance of
survival or not even getting it.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Doctor Porter. One of the things that we also like
to emphasize is how important it is to get tested
for all the things that we talked about earlier, because
for black men, oftentimes those diseases that we just mentioned,
whether it's prostate cancer, whether it's colon cancer, high blood pressure,
all those things sometimes impact men earlier, and sometimes it's
(02:59):
better to have some of those tests earlier then maybe
the general population, is that right.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yes, because black men are at such high risk for it.
They get colon cancer early, sometimes now as early as
forty prostate cancer early. And the one word that puts
all those things together that you mentioned would be silent.
There's no symptoms. You don't know it until it's too late,
so you don't know that you have colon cancer. But
if you get your colonoscopy and other screening test, you
(03:25):
can find out early why it's a pollop and get
it taken care of. If you get your PSA level taken,
you can find out if you have prostate cancer and
get it taken care of early. If you have hypertension
and you find out early, then you can get on
medicine so you don't get a heart attack or a stroke.
If you get your cholesterol taken, you can work on
your exercise and your nutrition and maybe take some medication
(03:47):
so that you don't again end up a heart disease
or stroke. So all of these things are silent. That's
why this program and this event is so special because
it breaks that silence us to know those numbers that
we can take care of ourselves.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
All right now, I want to get a little up
close and personal with you, doctor Porter, because we know
that representation really matters when it comes to health and
medical care, and there are relatively fewer black men who
are doctors that exist out there. And we know that
sometimes when it comes to health disparities, it's about cultural competence,
(04:27):
and why it's so important to have more representation such
as yourselves. What got you into the medical profession and
how is that What does it mean to you to
be a black man doing this kind of work well.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Typically I don't have to tell people I'm a black man,
but on the radio, I guess I have to. But
my pathway into medicine is a little different than almost
anybody else. I was four years old in nineteen sixty
three in November watching Romper Room. They interrupted Romper Room
and said the President was shot. And I told my
(05:03):
mother that they shot the president. My mother said, stop
telling stories. So I've been telling stories my entire life.
And then two days later they were taking Lee Harvey
Oswall from jail to prison and Jack Ruby shot him
on national TV. And I told my mother I was
going to grow up and be a person who could
take care of the president if he got shot. So
that's how I got into That's how I got into medicine,
(05:24):
and that's how I got into trauma. And whenever the
President comes anywhere in South Jersey, I get to meet
the medical team, the Secret Service, and if he happened
to would have gotten shot, I would be the person
to take care of him. So you'd be hard pressed
to find a person who had a dream at four
years old and then now fulfilled it. But when when
people see me, especially young, young young black men and
(05:48):
young black women too. They realize that they can do
it too, and so I don't necessarily have to be
a role model by words. I can be a role
model when I walk into the room. But I'm also
trying to be a role model in terms of know
your numbers on my arm. I have a continuous glucose
monitor so that I know what my glucose is because
(06:09):
there's a strong family history of diabetes in my family,
with heart disease and strokes, and so I know what
my glucose is all the time. I can tell you
all of my numbers because I check them myself with
my family doctor. And you know, a lot of times
people have excuses, I'm busy, et cetera, et cetera. I'm
busy too, But you got to make time for yourself
(06:31):
so you can see your kids grow up and see
your grandkids grow up and take care of them.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
I love that and I love that story. It is
so interesting how one defining event can really change the
course of your life, and that in fact, you were
able to express that and to be that and become
the doctor and become a trauma doctor of all things,
(06:57):
based on a very pivotal moment I remember that day
very clearly as well, because I went to my mom
and said President Kennedy had been shot, and she didn't
believe me either. Right, right, because they sent everybody home
that day because it was such an incredibly traumatic event
for the nation. But we are here to talk about
(07:19):
men's health and Saturday September twenty seventh at Malandra Hall
in Camden there is a free health awareness event with screenings,
expert talks and wellness resources. Doctor Porter give us all
the details about this event on Saturday, September twenty.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Seventh is at the Malandra Hall Community Center which is
at twelve hundred South Mayormack Road in Camden, and for
more information you can call or text the following number
six zero nine nine to two nine two seven.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Nine and when does it start and when does it end?
Speaker 2 (07:54):
It starts at eleven o'clock promptly and ends at two,
so eleven to two. This event was held last year
and we had a decent turnout of men, but last
year we actually had more women who cared about their
men than men themselves. So this year we would like
to have a lovely turnout of both men who care
(08:14):
about themselves and women who care about the men.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
I love it, so check it out again. It is
a free men's health awareness event on September twenty seventh,
brought to you by MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper
and the Camden County Cancer Screening Project. Doctor John Porter,
director of the Trauma Center at Cooper University Healthcare.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Thank you so much, it's been my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Today we're speaking with Joanna Otero Cruz, executive director of
Women Against Abuse, the leading domestic violence service provider and
advocate in Philadelphia, as the organization launches its eighteenth annual
EYE Pledge campaign this October one, kicking off Domestic Violence
Awareness Month. Johanna is here to share the impact of
this movement, this year's theme of hope and the many
(09:02):
ways our community can stand together to end relationship abuse.
So Joanna, a pleasure to have you here. And this
year's I Pledge marks the eighteenth Daniel campaign. Can you
share the history of I Pledge and why it remains
a powerful tradition in Philadelphia?
Speaker 4 (09:17):
Well, definitely.
Speaker 5 (09:18):
The twenty twenty five campaign is as you've mentioned, the
theme is hope and is our eighteenth It's a powerful
reminder that everyone deserves to live safe have a positive future,
and it's important for us to come together that we're
all responsible for building that type of future. Here in Philadelphia,
(09:38):
October first at noon will be We hope everybody comes out.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
I Pleasure. It is truly a press conference is what
it is.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
A community rally and a resource fair, uniting community leaders, survivors, advocates,
and neighbors in a powerful statement of solidarity.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
One of the most meaningful parts of I Pledge is
this 's story. Can you tell us about Megan's courage
and sharing her journey and why elevating survivor voices is
so important?
Speaker 5 (10:07):
This year we have our courageous individual named Megan. Megan's
story demonstrates how emotional, verbal, and psychological abuse can be
just as damaging as physical violence. Oftentimes, individuals think that
domestic violence is physical only, and we know that it
can manifest in many different ways. Her story underscores the
(10:30):
importance of recognizing all forms of abuse, their critical need
for support like services at Women Against Abuse, what we provide,
and how the healing process lasts long after leaving the
abusive relationship.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Let's talk a little bit about relationship abuse, because one
thing that we know is that it crosses every kind
of boundary that you can imagine. Let's talk very briefly
about some of the things that keep people in those
abusive relationships. You often find a situation where friends and
family are going why doesn't she leave him? And why
(11:08):
does she keep going back to this person? What are
some of the very powerful psychological strangleholds that abuse can
can express.
Speaker 5 (11:19):
You know, you mentioned all the complexities of why in
the visuals can stay and you know, stay in a relationship.
This is why I think that you know, eyepledge is
so important and it's raising that awareness about the pervasiveness.
We all know someone who's experienced domestic violence or is
going through it. One in three women, one in four
men experience domestic violence, so as you mentioned.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
It crosses all sectors.
Speaker 5 (11:42):
And half of our LGBTQ plus community experience domestic violence.
So it speaks to the prevalence, and unfortunately there are
many barriers. There's fear sometimes we are in our immigrant communities,
there's lots of fear of the importation of being out given.
More so now given our current political climate, there's lots
(12:04):
of fear in leaving. Financially, it is extremely expensive with
inflation rents going up. Everything seems to be going up,
but salaries, and so it makes it a lot challenging
financially to just completely root and leave without that financial stability,
especially if you have children.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
And there's cultural barriers as well.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
It's oftentimes still frowned upon, especially if you're in a marriage,
you are legally married, where you have children with this
partner is oftentimes frowned upon. And another means of being
isolated within your own family and your community. There's lots
of different barriers that it can exasperate the issues of
(12:47):
why individual stay.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
I think as a society we also.
Speaker 5 (12:52):
Have to begin to change that narrative. How can we
hold the abuser accountable for their actions and why instead
of asking you why does she or he stay in
a relationship? Why is that person hitting someone they're supposed
to love right and care for, and begin to change
that narrative and holding individuals accountable for their behavior versus victimplaining.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
As a society, we have to do better well.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Women Against Abuse offers so many resources, whether it's a hotline,
whether it's counseling, whether it's a phone call that can
help somebody with an exit plan. Tell us about some
of the resources that Women Against Abuse provides.
Speaker 5 (13:33):
We believe that we're providing life savings work starting with
our hotline. So our hotline is a collaborative with our
sister agencies here in the city of Philadelphia. It is
operated twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.
And so if anybody has any questions, you know, maybe
you have doubts about the relationship that you're in and
(13:53):
you're wondering whether or not it is a healthy relationship
or not, and you just want to speak to someone
without judgment, you can call our hotline one eight six
six seven two three three zero one four And we
do use interpretation language for multiple.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Languages up to one hundred and eighty one languages.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
We operate the only two domestic violence shelters in the
city of Philadelphia. They are in confidential locations. What's unique
about our shelters is we have twenty four hour security
both for our clients and our staff. It's really important
that we keep everyone safe. We operate the only legal
center specifically dedicated to domestic violence victims for individuals trying
(14:36):
to obtain a protection from abuse order if that is
the best option for them, as well as complex custody cases.
And we also provide education. Community education so important to
educate our community about not just what the resources are,
but about the pattern of abuse, the different forms of abuse,
(14:57):
and then of course the resources they are available. We
also have transitional housing program. We know that shelter is
very short stay, so what happens next is really important,
So providing the longer term housing, permanent housing, is extremely
important for someone's sustainability and their safety.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Well, let's get back to the I Pledge event that's
happening in City Hall on the first.
Speaker 5 (15:20):
It is Wednesday, October first, It is at noontime. It
is at the courtyard at City Hall, so we're calling
for really great skies that'll cooperate with us.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
As I mentioned, it is a press conference.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
We are thrilled that this year we will be presenting
the twenty twenty five Social Impact Award to the Honorable
Joanne McClinton.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
She is the Speaker of the House.
Speaker 5 (15:43):
She is a great leader, unwavering advocates for survivors across
the Commonwealth. We're so happy to have you back ours
our MC and host Lorraine. We have several City council
representatives who have already confirm to lead us anyone who's
present in all of us in a group pledge against
(16:06):
domestic violence.
Speaker 4 (16:07):
So this is a really meaningful collective commitment to safety
and peace.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
We invite everyone to join us on that pledge, and
we have of course invited our Mayor Sharrel Parker to
be our keynote. We are still waiting to get confirmation.
We hope she can join us, but understand that she
is a very busy lady. And then we also have
Drexel University's eight to the Bar, which is a male,
(16:34):
non binary, a very Capello group, and they will really
kick us off to the great press conference that we
have scheduled for October first.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
I can't wait to be there, and I hope a
lot of folks out there will be joining us for
that I Pledge eighteenth annual Eye Pledge campaign and kicking
off on October first at City Hall. Joanna Otero Cruz,
executive director of Women Against Abuse. What is the hotline number?
One more time and the website.
Speaker 5 (17:00):
The website is Women Against Abuse dot org. Our hotline
number is one eight six six seven two three three
zero one four.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
All right, Well, we really look forward to this event
and We want to raise awareness about the importance of
pledging against violence in relationships and also understanding all the
great resources that are available through Women Against Abuse. Joanna
o'tera Cruz, thank you so much for joining us today.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
Thank you, Larene.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
We're joined by Nicole figuero A, founder of Survivor Warrior.
A thirty eight year old mother of two, entrepreneur, and
survivor of nearly a decade of domestic abuse. Nicole has
dedicated her life to raising awareness in equipping women and
youth with the tools and resources to break the cycle
of violence. Through her organization, Survivor Warrior. She creates empowering
(17:52):
programs from hands on workshops like She's Got Spark and
She Nailed It, to community events like the upcoming second
annual Domestic Violence Awareness Walk on October first across the
Ben Franklin Bridge. Nicole, I'm delighted to host you today
and I wonder if you can share a little bit
of your personal journey and what inspired you to create
Survivor Warrior.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Thank you so much for having me so Yes, I
was in a domestically violent relationship for almost ten years
and the biggest thing I found was every time I
came back because I felt I needed him right. And
I think as victims, or as I call us, survivors,
even when we are victims, because we're in survival mode, right,
we're literally waking up every day and just praying to
(18:33):
get to the end of the day. I realized the
resource I was looking for I couldn't find, and I said,
you know what, I'm going to create this resource. And
I started to do the research, and I started to
think back of when the abuse started, and I realized,
we have to go further back. We have to reach
the youth, we have to equip them with the tools,
we have to actually try to prevent the abuse versus
spread the awareness post abuse.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Right, isn't it true that so often it becomes a
cycle that the children of those who are abused sometimes
become abusers or become survivors as well.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Yes, definitely so. And it's scary because you just don't
you can't tell. There is no like telling signs along
the way to say, Okay, they're going to go the
route of abuser, or they're going to go the route
of you know, victim slash survivor, or they're going to
change the generation to generational trajectory altogether, and guess what,
they're going to live a healthy life now, they're gonna
just flip that coin. I feel like if we give
(19:27):
our youth a better opportunity to flip that coin and
become the healthy version of the family's cycles of what
used to be trauma and abuse, there's there's hope, right,
there's hope that we can actually break domestic violence and
end it. And I'm really really looking forward to getting
more programs in place, spreading more awareness, bringing more of
us together. It's just it's phenomenal, and I'm so grateful
(19:48):
that we're finally at a point where we're speaking about it,
because for so long it's just a hush hush subject.
That's what I've called it my whole life.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Absolutely, I think there's so much that people don't understand
about relationship. Sometimes people will say, well, you know, oh,
why doesn't she walk away, not understanding that's there's a
lot more to it than that. And I wonder if
you can talk about some of the factors that contribute
to staying in a relationship and what is the breaking
(20:15):
point or what was it for you that allowed you
to step out and say enough is enough.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
Well, I'm going to be completely honest and raw and transparent.
The breaking point was forced upon me. I was at
a point where the abuse was so consistent and it
was just a cycle like we mentioned before, and it
became a point where he started to physically act out
in front of our children, and that still wasn't enough.
I still didn't leave. Yet what forced me to leave
was him being arrested behind it. I was literally forced
(20:41):
to break the bond because there was no you had
no choice. There was no option of bonding anymore because
there were now restraining orders, there were you know, legal
issues that I had to be mindful of, and now
my children were watching me. So at that point, I said, Okay,
now I have to heal right now, I have to
figure this out because I'm healing from abuse, or at
least trying to. I'm raising a one year old and
a three year old, and I have to raise them
(21:03):
in a way where they understand Mommy got attacked in
the bathroom and we never saw daddy again. How do
I make that normal for them? Right? How do I
make it normal in a way where they don't feel
like they're always having to heal from it? Or come
back from it, or defend themselves you know, behind it, right,
And that's where this whole mission came about. We're going
to equip the youth and the survivors of you know,
the adult survivors, because there are some that you know,
(21:25):
they're ready, they're ready, they're like you said, they're breaking point.
They're ready to go, and they're ready to give themselves
the tools and equip themselves with the tools to finally
not survive, but thrive.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
So often our society is not supportive of people who
are in those kinds of relationships. Whether it can be
a culture that you don't divorce your husband that's just
not allowed, or it may be religion, you know, this
is against my personal religion, or they are those who
simply say, well, you know, what did you do to
(21:56):
deserve this? Right, So there's a lot of these factors.
And or if you can talk to those out there
who might be in that relationship right now who simply
doesn't see any way out of it, what are some
of the messages that you would send out to those individuals.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
Well, my first message will be you're not alone. You
are not alone. It feels very lonely and it feels
as if nobody understands, and it feels as if if
you do mention it or bring it up to somebody
to try to explain, there's a guilt and there's a
shame tied to it. But you are not alone. And
I promise you the minute you take the step out
and you finally get out of it, you allow yourself
(22:33):
opportunity to grow into something way better and bigger. I
think the biggest message that resonated with me was you're
never gonna heal in the same environment of what you're hurting.
And that struck, like, right now, I just got goosebum
saying it. That struck me so hard because I think
a lot of us play in our heads we'll get better.
I'll just stay, We'll get better. You know, we'll get better.
I'm going to do this differently, but I'm not going
(22:54):
to leave because we're going to get better. You're never
going to get better. And all we can do is
control how we respond to life. And if we're not
looking to get better within, nobody else, no other contributing
factors or people can make us better.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
At the end of the day, it is a decision
that is very personal that you make However, I think
that I would be very interested to hear you talk
about what you would like your friends and family to
have said to you or to have been supportive of
you during your time when you were going through this.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
You know, I thought about that a lot in healing, right,
because you think about people say, oh, nobody's there for me,
and it's almost like we create that environment by keep
shutting everybody out because there's a stigma around DV that
you know, we don't speak about it, and it's so
unknown and there is no real at this point, really
we're just opening that door. There is no real known
to it, right, So people can't understand why you stay.
(23:49):
People can't understand why why don't you just get up?
Why would you go back? So he said sorry, don't
you know he's not sorry. When you're in it, you
have to understand leaving abuse arts way before you're ready
to leave, right, because you're being brainwashed, you're being manipulated,
you're being financially controlled, you're being coerced, you're being triangulated.
(24:12):
Once things come out right, and now you're being taken
from your environment. In most cases, like I was, I
was taken from New York and we were promised. I
was promised the lovely life in Philadelphia. But I was
really taken from my family. I was taken from my friends.
I was taken from my neighborhoods where I was comfortable,
where I can go outside and I can roam, And
like I was mentioning before we started this interview, I
(24:32):
just started adventuring Philadelphia. I've been here fifteen years. I've
been outside for maybe four of them because I simply
wasn't allowed to be outside. Anybody out there that is
dealing with this, anybody out there that feels they can't
get out or they won't get out, you will. It
just takes one step out. If this reach is just
one person and it saves you, just remember you're worth it.
Our worth is within and if we don't stand on that,
(24:56):
it truly becomes a point where nobody will stand on
it for us.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Well, tell us very briefly about this domestic Violence Awareness
Walk on October first, and also what your organization does
for those.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
So survivor warrior. It all started because I said, Okay, well,
how do we equip the future with the things that
they need to not fall into these money like these
really really bad cycles, right, And the first thing was
financial literacy and financial independence. You have to be able
to make your own income. And I said, well, why
don't we give them trades, because trades are never going anywhere, right,
We're going to always need people to do things in
(25:30):
the real world. So I started with the girls in
the car force, Like I got my CDLA because I
just wanted to be a pushing a driving force for
other women to see. Okay, I can do that too,
that's a means of income. What's a CDL a commercial
driver's license?
Speaker 1 (25:44):
I gotcha.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
Okay, yeah, so I kind of did that when I
started this like a door for me to say, if
I could do it, you guys can do it. If
I can do it after being abused for eight years,
you guys can do it before and even prevent abuse
from happening. And I used myself as that example we have.
She's got spark Master's Touch Auto is an auto mechanic
place in Philadelphia at sixty seven oh one two Avenue.
(26:05):
I'm really grateful to him. He collabed with me and
we put together a four week course for children. I
mean it's girls age nine to seventeen. It's an all
girls course, and they're getting mechanics one oh one. They're
learning how to change oil, they're learning how to change
a tire, they're learning what their dashboard means when it's
lighting up. They're giving the basics. So guess what if
God forbid, and of course we hope that this isn't
the case in the future, but God forbid, something happens
(26:27):
and they're left stranded on the side of the highway,
like many victims and survivors are. They know how to
get themselves from point A to point B their car
breaks down. They're not relying on their abuser to come
help them. And that's just one small thing in the
very real world because as adults, most of us drive, right,
and we don't even realize that's a very big means
for us for survival, being able to drive ourselves somewhere
(26:48):
so we can prevent I mean, if we can prepare them.
It goes deeper than just the cars. It just goes
into like livelihood, right.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
It's about empowerment.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
It's empowerment exactly the tools that we don't necessarily see
unless we're spending a lot of money. Right, And that's
the other thing All of my programs are completely free,
completely free. I try to keep it at a ten
child maximum just to give everybody that individual attention. And
like with the She's Got Spark program, they're in there,
their hands are dirty, they're welding. I'll I'll show you
(27:16):
from videos after they're like, you're really in there.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
I love that. Back to the March is a walk.
Tell us exactly what time it starts, exactly where you meet,
and what people need to do to get more information.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
So October first, twenty twenty five, we are meeting at
nine thirty am. I'll be there from eight thirty am
setting up. We are meeting right in front of the
Benjamin Franklin Bridge on the Philadelphia side. There's a small
island of street that has a grassy patched area. We'll
be right on the sidewalk. You won't be able to
miss us. It's going to be over one hundred people
in purple shirts. The whole gist of this, and the
point of this is to provide support, is to give
(27:51):
people a place, even if for two hours in one
whole year, to come and literally feel as if I'm understood,
I'm seen, they hear me, they are me because so
many of us live the same lives and we don't
know it because we refuse to speak about it, or
because we're too ashamed to speak about it. So just
opening their eyes and opening their minds to okay, there
(28:11):
are others like me, and I'm gonna be okay because
they're okay and they show me that it's okay to
be not okay. We also want to honor those who
aren't able to be here with us because they're no
longer here right they've fall victim to this horrible, horrible,
horrible crime. And it's also to use our voice just
to stand up and say we're not going to tolerate
it anymore. We're not going to stay quiet about it anymore.
(28:32):
My slogan is Silence is domestic violence.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
If people want more information about the walk and also
about Survivor Warrior, how do they find out more?
Speaker 3 (28:41):
You can find me on Instagram. It's Coley co l
i ee underscore taught taug h t underscore me m ee.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Thank you so much. Nicole Figueroa, founder of Survivor Warrior,
a thirty eight year old mother of two, entrepreneur, and
survivor of nearly a day decade of domestic abuse. She's
dedicated her life to raising awareness and equipping women and
youth with the tools and resources to break the cycle
of violence.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
Thank you, Thank you, Lorraine, have a blessed day.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
You can listen to all of today's interviews by going
to our station website and typing in keyword Community. You
can also listen on the iHeartRadio app ye Words Philadelphia
Community Podcast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard.
I'm Lorraine Ballard MOREL and I stand for service to
our community and media that empowers. What will you stand for?
(29:31):
You've been listening to Insight and thank you.
Good morning. You're listening to Insight, a show about empowering
our community. I'm Lorraine Baller. Tomorrow we'll hear from Joanna
o'tero Cruz of Women Against Abuse on the eighteenth annual
I Pledge Campaign, and meet Nicole Figueroa, a founder of
Survivor Warrior. But first, let's talk about men's health. Did
you know that black men are sixty seven percent more
(00:21):
likely to get prostate cancer and twice as likely to
die from it. Well, there's an event that's happening Saturday,
September twenty seventh at Malandra Hall and Camden, a free
men's health awareness event sponsored by M. D. Anderson Cancer
Center at Cooper and the Camden County Cancer Screening Project.
And joining us right now someone to tell us all
(00:41):
about it, Doctor John Porter, director of the Trauma Center
at Cooper University Healthcare. Well, doctor Porter, as I mentioned before, men,
you don't take care of yourselves.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Right, Yes, we are bad at taking care of ourselves,
and we come up with a variety of excuses that
we give to the people that love us and use
on ourselves.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Well, that's why it's up to all of us who
love our men to encourage all of you to get
out and get checked. Know your numbers because black men
not only are more likely to get prostate cancer, but
there is lots of other issues as well, whether it's diabetes,
high blood pressure, heart disease, all those things.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yes, you named the big ones, and they also lead
to strokes and heart attacks. And Cooper University Healthcare not
only has the MD in Orson Cancer Center, which will
specialize in prostate cancer, which as you mentioned, is sixty
seven percent more common in black men, but also has cardiologists,
family doctors, etc. To deal with diabetes and hypertension, eating right, etc.
(01:46):
Because we have to take care of ourselves.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Absolutely, and one of the things that we are constantly
saying over and over again is know your numbers.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Right.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
That is correct, and there are many numbers which you
can know to the prostate cancers PSA, So you need to.
It's a blood test. It's a simple blood test, and
then you can track and trend that to make sure
that it's days we're supposed to stay and as it elevates,
then there's other tests that the urologists and I believe Daisy,
I know her as Daisy will be there to talk
(02:18):
specifically about this a very well trained urologist who did
a special training and cancer, and we'll talk about what
the numbers actually mean and how you can trend them
and what tests you can do to find it when
it's early, so that you'll have a better chance of
survival or not even getting it.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Doctor Porter. One of the things that we also like
to emphasize is how important it is to get tested
for all the things that we talked about earlier, because
for black men, oftentimes those diseases that we just mentioned,
whether it's prostate cancer, whether it's colon cancer, high blood pressure,
all those things sometimes impact men earlier, and sometimes it's
(02:59):
better to have some of those tests earlier then maybe
the general population, is that right.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yes, because black men are at such high risk for it.
They get colon cancer early, sometimes now as early as
forty prostate cancer early. And the one word that puts
all those things together that you mentioned would be silent.
There's no symptoms. You don't know it until it's too late,
so you don't know that you have colon cancer. But
if you get your colonoscopy and other screening test, you
(03:25):
can find out early why it's a pollop and get
it taken care of. If you get your PSA level taken,
you can find out if you have prostate cancer and
get it taken care of early. If you have hypertension
and you find out early, then you can get on
medicine so you don't get a heart attack or a stroke.
If you get your cholesterol taken, you can work on
your exercise and your nutrition and maybe take some medication
(03:47):
so that you don't again end up a heart disease
or stroke. So all of these things are silent. That's
why this program and this event is so special because
it breaks that silence us to know those numbers that
we can take care of ourselves.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
All right now, I want to get a little up
close and personal with you, doctor Porter, because we know
that representation really matters when it comes to health and
medical care, and there are relatively fewer black men who
are doctors that exist out there. And we know that
sometimes when it comes to health disparities, it's about cultural competence,
(04:27):
and why it's so important to have more representation such
as yourselves. What got you into the medical profession and
how is that What does it mean to you to
be a black man doing this kind of work well.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Typically I don't have to tell people I'm a black man,
but on the radio, I guess I have to. But
my pathway into medicine is a little different than almost
anybody else. I was four years old in nineteen sixty
three in November watching Romper Room. They interrupted Romper Room
and said the President was shot. And I told my
(05:03):
mother that they shot the president. My mother said, stop
telling stories. So I've been telling stories my entire life.
And then two days later they were taking Lee Harvey
Oswall from jail to prison and Jack Ruby shot him
on national TV. And I told my mother I was
going to grow up and be a person who could
take care of the president if he got shot. So
that's how I got into That's how I got into medicine,
(05:24):
and that's how I got into trauma. And whenever the
President comes anywhere in South Jersey, I get to meet
the medical team, the Secret Service, and if he happened
to would have gotten shot, I would be the person
to take care of him. So you'd be hard pressed
to find a person who had a dream at four
years old and then now fulfilled it. But when when
people see me, especially young, young young black men and
(05:48):
young black women too. They realize that they can do
it too, and so I don't necessarily have to be
a role model by words. I can be a role
model when I walk into the room. But I'm also
trying to be a role model in terms of know
your numbers on my arm. I have a continuous glucose
monitor so that I know what my glucose is because
(06:09):
there's a strong family history of diabetes in my family,
with heart disease and strokes, and so I know what
my glucose is all the time. I can tell you
all of my numbers because I check them myself with
my family doctor. And you know, a lot of times
people have excuses, I'm busy, et cetera, et cetera. I'm
busy too, But you got to make time for yourself
(06:31):
so you can see your kids grow up and see
your grandkids grow up and take care of them.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
I love that and I love that story. It is
so interesting how one defining event can really change the
course of your life, and that in fact, you were
able to express that and to be that and become
the doctor and become a trauma doctor of all things,
(06:57):
based on a very pivotal moment I remember that day
very clearly as well, because I went to my mom
and said President Kennedy had been shot, and she didn't
believe me either. Right, right, because they sent everybody home
that day because it was such an incredibly traumatic event
for the nation. But we are here to talk about
(07:19):
men's health and Saturday September twenty seventh at Malandra Hall
in Camden there is a free health awareness event with screenings,
expert talks and wellness resources. Doctor Porter give us all
the details about this event on Saturday, September twenty.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Seventh is at the Malandra Hall Community Center which is
at twelve hundred South Mayormack Road in Camden, and for
more information you can call or text the following number
six zero nine nine to two nine two seven.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Nine and when does it start and when does it end?
Speaker 2 (07:54):
It starts at eleven o'clock promptly and ends at two,
so eleven to two. This event was held last year
and we had a decent turnout of men, but last
year we actually had more women who cared about their
men than men themselves. So this year we would like
to have a lovely turnout of both men who care
(08:14):
about themselves and women who care about the men.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
I love it, so check it out again. It is
a free men's health awareness event on September twenty seventh,
brought to you by MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper
and the Camden County Cancer Screening Project. Doctor John Porter,
director of the Trauma Center at Cooper University Healthcare.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Thank you so much, it's been my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Today we're speaking with Joanna Otero Cruz, executive director of
Women Against Abuse, the leading domestic violence service provider and
advocate in Philadelphia, as the organization launches its eighteenth annual
EYE Pledge campaign this October one, kicking off Domestic Violence
Awareness Month. Johanna is here to share the impact of
this movement, this year's theme of hope and the many
(09:02):
ways our community can stand together to end relationship abuse.
So Joanna, a pleasure to have you here. And this
year's I Pledge marks the eighteenth Daniel campaign. Can you
share the history of I Pledge and why it remains
a powerful tradition in Philadelphia?
Speaker 4 (09:17):
Well, definitely.
Speaker 5 (09:18):
The twenty twenty five campaign is as you've mentioned, the
theme is hope and is our eighteenth It's a powerful
reminder that everyone deserves to live safe have a positive future,
and it's important for us to come together that we're
all responsible for building that type of future. Here in Philadelphia,
(09:38):
October first at noon will be We hope everybody comes out.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
I Pleasure. It is truly a press conference is what
it is.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
A community rally and a resource fair, uniting community leaders, survivors, advocates,
and neighbors in a powerful statement of solidarity.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
One of the most meaningful parts of I Pledge is
this 's story. Can you tell us about Megan's courage
and sharing her journey and why elevating survivor voices is
so important?
Speaker 5 (10:07):
This year we have our courageous individual named Megan. Megan's
story demonstrates how emotional, verbal, and psychological abuse can be
just as damaging as physical violence. Oftentimes, individuals think that
domestic violence is physical only, and we know that it
can manifest in many different ways. Her story underscores the
(10:30):
importance of recognizing all forms of abuse, their critical need
for support like services at Women Against Abuse, what we provide,
and how the healing process lasts long after leaving the
abusive relationship.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Let's talk a little bit about relationship abuse, because one
thing that we know is that it crosses every kind
of boundary that you can imagine. Let's talk very briefly
about some of the things that keep people in those
abusive relationships. You often find a situation where friends and
family are going why doesn't she leave him? And why
(11:08):
does she keep going back to this person? What are
some of the very powerful psychological strangleholds that abuse can
can express.
Speaker 5 (11:19):
You know, you mentioned all the complexities of why in
the visuals can stay and you know, stay in a relationship.
This is why I think that you know, eyepledge is
so important and it's raising that awareness about the pervasiveness.
We all know someone who's experienced domestic violence or is
going through it. One in three women, one in four
men experience domestic violence, so as you mentioned.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
It crosses all sectors.
Speaker 5 (11:42):
And half of our LGBTQ plus community experience domestic violence.
So it speaks to the prevalence, and unfortunately there are
many barriers. There's fear sometimes we are in our immigrant communities,
there's lots of fear of the importation of being out given.
More so now given our current political climate, there's lots
(12:04):
of fear in leaving. Financially, it is extremely expensive with
inflation rents going up. Everything seems to be going up,
but salaries, and so it makes it a lot challenging
financially to just completely root and leave without that financial stability,
especially if you have children.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
And there's cultural barriers as well.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
It's oftentimes still frowned upon, especially if you're in a marriage,
you are legally married, where you have children with this
partner is oftentimes frowned upon. And another means of being
isolated within your own family and your community. There's lots
of different barriers that it can exasperate the issues of
(12:47):
why individual stay.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
I think as a society we also.
Speaker 5 (12:52):
Have to begin to change that narrative. How can we
hold the abuser accountable for their actions and why instead
of asking you why does she or he stay in
a relationship? Why is that person hitting someone they're supposed
to love right and care for, and begin to change
that narrative and holding individuals accountable for their behavior versus victimplaining.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
As a society, we have to do better well.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Women Against Abuse offers so many resources, whether it's a hotline,
whether it's counseling, whether it's a phone call that can
help somebody with an exit plan. Tell us about some
of the resources that Women Against Abuse provides.
Speaker 5 (13:33):
We believe that we're providing life savings work starting with
our hotline. So our hotline is a collaborative with our
sister agencies here in the city of Philadelphia. It is
operated twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.
And so if anybody has any questions, you know, maybe
you have doubts about the relationship that you're in and
(13:53):
you're wondering whether or not it is a healthy relationship
or not, and you just want to speak to someone
without judgment, you can call our hotline one eight six
six seven two three three zero one four And we
do use interpretation language for multiple.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Languages up to one hundred and eighty one languages.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
We operate the only two domestic violence shelters in the
city of Philadelphia. They are in confidential locations. What's unique
about our shelters is we have twenty four hour security
both for our clients and our staff. It's really important
that we keep everyone safe. We operate the only legal
center specifically dedicated to domestic violence victims for individuals trying
(14:36):
to obtain a protection from abuse order if that is
the best option for them, as well as complex custody cases.
And we also provide education. Community education so important to
educate our community about not just what the resources are,
but about the pattern of abuse, the different forms of abuse,
(14:57):
and then of course the resources they are available. We
also have transitional housing program. We know that shelter is
very short stay, so what happens next is really important,
So providing the longer term housing, permanent housing, is extremely
important for someone's sustainability and their safety.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Well, let's get back to the I Pledge event that's
happening in City Hall on the first.
Speaker 5 (15:20):
It is Wednesday, October first, It is at noontime. It
is at the courtyard at City Hall, so we're calling
for really great skies that'll cooperate with us.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
As I mentioned, it is a press conference.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
We are thrilled that this year we will be presenting
the twenty twenty five Social Impact Award to the Honorable
Joanne McClinton.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
She is the Speaker of the House.
Speaker 5 (15:43):
She is a great leader, unwavering advocates for survivors across
the Commonwealth. We're so happy to have you back ours
our MC and host Lorraine. We have several City council
representatives who have already confirm to lead us anyone who's
present in all of us in a group pledge against
(16:06):
domestic violence.
Speaker 4 (16:07):
So this is a really meaningful collective commitment to safety
and peace.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
We invite everyone to join us on that pledge, and
we have of course invited our Mayor Sharrel Parker to
be our keynote. We are still waiting to get confirmation.
We hope she can join us, but understand that she
is a very busy lady. And then we also have
Drexel University's eight to the Bar, which is a male,
(16:34):
non binary, a very Capello group, and they will really
kick us off to the great press conference that we
have scheduled for October first.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
I can't wait to be there, and I hope a
lot of folks out there will be joining us for
that I Pledge eighteenth annual Eye Pledge campaign and kicking
off on October first at City Hall. Joanna Otero Cruz,
executive director of Women Against Abuse. What is the hotline number?
One more time and the website.
Speaker 5 (17:00):
The website is Women Against Abuse dot org. Our hotline
number is one eight six six seven two three three
zero one four.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
All right, Well, we really look forward to this event
and We want to raise awareness about the importance of
pledging against violence in relationships and also understanding all the
great resources that are available through Women Against Abuse. Joanna
o'tera Cruz, thank you so much for joining us today.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
Thank you, Larene.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
We're joined by Nicole figuero A, founder of Survivor Warrior.
A thirty eight year old mother of two, entrepreneur, and
survivor of nearly a decade of domestic abuse. Nicole has
dedicated her life to raising awareness in equipping women and
youth with the tools and resources to break the cycle
of violence. Through her organization, Survivor Warrior. She creates empowering
(17:52):
programs from hands on workshops like She's Got Spark and
She Nailed It, to community events like the upcoming second
annual Domestic Violence Awareness Walk on October first across the
Ben Franklin Bridge. Nicole, I'm delighted to host you today
and I wonder if you can share a little bit
of your personal journey and what inspired you to create
Survivor Warrior.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Thank you so much for having me so Yes, I
was in a domestically violent relationship for almost ten years
and the biggest thing I found was every time I
came back because I felt I needed him right. And
I think as victims, or as I call us, survivors,
even when we are victims, because we're in survival mode, right,
we're literally waking up every day and just praying to
(18:33):
get to the end of the day. I realized the
resource I was looking for I couldn't find, and I said,
you know what, I'm going to create this resource. And
I started to do the research, and I started to
think back of when the abuse started, and I realized,
we have to go further back. We have to reach
the youth, we have to equip them with the tools,
we have to actually try to prevent the abuse versus
spread the awareness post abuse.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Right, isn't it true that so often it becomes a
cycle that the children of those who are abused sometimes
become abusers or become survivors as well.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Yes, definitely so. And it's scary because you just don't
you can't tell. There is no like telling signs along
the way to say, Okay, they're going to go the
route of abuser, or they're going to go the route
of you know, victim slash survivor, or they're going to
change the generation to generational trajectory altogether, and guess what,
they're going to live a healthy life now, they're gonna
just flip that coin. I feel like if we give
(19:27):
our youth a better opportunity to flip that coin and
become the healthy version of the family's cycles of what
used to be trauma and abuse, there's there's hope, right,
there's hope that we can actually break domestic violence and
end it. And I'm really really looking forward to getting
more programs in place, spreading more awareness, bringing more of
us together. It's just it's phenomenal, and I'm so grateful
(19:48):
that we're finally at a point where we're speaking about it,
because for so long it's just a hush hush subject.
That's what I've called it my whole life.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Absolutely, I think there's so much that people don't understand
about relationship. Sometimes people will say, well, you know, oh,
why doesn't she walk away, not understanding that's there's a
lot more to it than that. And I wonder if
you can talk about some of the factors that contribute
to staying in a relationship and what is the breaking
(20:15):
point or what was it for you that allowed you
to step out and say enough is enough.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
Well, I'm going to be completely honest and raw and transparent.
The breaking point was forced upon me. I was at
a point where the abuse was so consistent and it
was just a cycle like we mentioned before, and it
became a point where he started to physically act out
in front of our children, and that still wasn't enough.
I still didn't leave. Yet what forced me to leave
was him being arrested behind it. I was literally forced
(20:41):
to break the bond because there was no you had
no choice. There was no option of bonding anymore because
there were now restraining orders, there were you know, legal
issues that I had to be mindful of, and now
my children were watching me. So at that point, I said, Okay,
now I have to heal right now, I have to
figure this out because I'm healing from abuse, or at
least trying to. I'm raising a one year old and
a three year old, and I have to raise them
(21:03):
in a way where they understand Mommy got attacked in
the bathroom and we never saw daddy again. How do
I make that normal for them? Right? How do I
make it normal in a way where they don't feel
like they're always having to heal from it? Or come
back from it, or defend themselves you know, behind it, right,
And that's where this whole mission came about. We're going
to equip the youth and the survivors of you know,
the adult survivors, because there are some that you know,
(21:25):
they're ready, they're ready, they're like you said, they're breaking point.
They're ready to go, and they're ready to give themselves
the tools and equip themselves with the tools to finally
not survive, but thrive.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
So often our society is not supportive of people who
are in those kinds of relationships. Whether it can be
a culture that you don't divorce your husband that's just
not allowed, or it may be religion, you know, this
is against my personal religion, or they are those who
simply say, well, you know, what did you do to
(21:56):
deserve this? Right, So there's a lot of these factors.
And or if you can talk to those out there
who might be in that relationship right now who simply
doesn't see any way out of it, what are some
of the messages that you would send out to those individuals.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
Well, my first message will be you're not alone. You
are not alone. It feels very lonely and it feels
as if nobody understands, and it feels as if if
you do mention it or bring it up to somebody
to try to explain, there's a guilt and there's a
shame tied to it. But you are not alone. And
I promise you the minute you take the step out
and you finally get out of it, you allow yourself
(22:33):
opportunity to grow into something way better and bigger. I
think the biggest message that resonated with me was you're
never gonna heal in the same environment of what you're hurting.
And that struck, like, right now, I just got goosebum
saying it. That struck me so hard because I think
a lot of us play in our heads we'll get better.
I'll just stay, We'll get better. You know, we'll get better.
I'm going to do this differently, but I'm not going
(22:54):
to leave because we're going to get better. You're never
going to get better. And all we can do is
control how we respond to life. And if we're not
looking to get better within, nobody else, no other contributing
factors or people can make us better.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
At the end of the day, it is a decision
that is very personal that you make However, I think
that I would be very interested to hear you talk
about what you would like your friends and family to
have said to you or to have been supportive of
you during your time when you were going through this.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
You know, I thought about that a lot in healing, right,
because you think about people say, oh, nobody's there for me,
and it's almost like we create that environment by keep
shutting everybody out because there's a stigma around DV that
you know, we don't speak about it, and it's so
unknown and there is no real at this point, really
we're just opening that door. There is no real known
to it, right, So people can't understand why you stay.
(23:49):
People can't understand why why don't you just get up?
Why would you go back? So he said sorry, don't
you know he's not sorry. When you're in it, you
have to understand leaving abuse arts way before you're ready
to leave, right, because you're being brainwashed, you're being manipulated,
you're being financially controlled, you're being coerced, you're being triangulated.
(24:12):
Once things come out right, and now you're being taken
from your environment. In most cases, like I was, I
was taken from New York and we were promised. I
was promised the lovely life in Philadelphia. But I was
really taken from my family. I was taken from my friends.
I was taken from my neighborhoods where I was comfortable,
where I can go outside and I can roam, And
like I was mentioning before we started this interview, I
(24:32):
just started adventuring Philadelphia. I've been here fifteen years. I've
been outside for maybe four of them because I simply
wasn't allowed to be outside. Anybody out there that is
dealing with this, anybody out there that feels they can't
get out or they won't get out, you will. It
just takes one step out. If this reach is just
one person and it saves you, just remember you're worth it.
Our worth is within and if we don't stand on that,
(24:56):
it truly becomes a point where nobody will stand on
it for us.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Well, tell us very briefly about this domestic Violence Awareness
Walk on October first, and also what your organization does
for those.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
So survivor warrior. It all started because I said, Okay, well,
how do we equip the future with the things that
they need to not fall into these money like these
really really bad cycles, right, And the first thing was
financial literacy and financial independence. You have to be able
to make your own income. And I said, well, why
don't we give them trades, because trades are never going anywhere, right,
We're going to always need people to do things in
(25:30):
the real world. So I started with the girls in
the car force, Like I got my CDLA because I
just wanted to be a pushing a driving force for
other women to see. Okay, I can do that too,
that's a means of income. What's a CDL a commercial
driver's license?
Speaker 1 (25:44):
I gotcha.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
Okay, yeah, so I kind of did that when I
started this like a door for me to say, if
I could do it, you guys can do it. If
I can do it after being abused for eight years,
you guys can do it before and even prevent abuse
from happening. And I used myself as that example we have.
She's got spark Master's Touch Auto is an auto mechanic
place in Philadelphia at sixty seven oh one two Avenue.
(26:05):
I'm really grateful to him. He collabed with me and
we put together a four week course for children. I
mean it's girls age nine to seventeen. It's an all
girls course, and they're getting mechanics one oh one. They're
learning how to change oil, they're learning how to change
a tire, they're learning what their dashboard means when it's
lighting up. They're giving the basics. So guess what if
God forbid, and of course we hope that this isn't
the case in the future, but God forbid, something happens
(26:27):
and they're left stranded on the side of the highway,
like many victims and survivors are. They know how to
get themselves from point A to point B their car
breaks down. They're not relying on their abuser to come
help them. And that's just one small thing in the
very real world because as adults, most of us drive, right,
and we don't even realize that's a very big means
for us for survival, being able to drive ourselves somewhere
(26:48):
so we can prevent I mean, if we can prepare them.
It goes deeper than just the cars. It just goes
into like livelihood, right.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
It's about empowerment.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
It's empowerment exactly the tools that we don't necessarily see
unless we're spending a lot of money. Right, And that's
the other thing All of my programs are completely free,
completely free. I try to keep it at a ten
child maximum just to give everybody that individual attention. And
like with the She's Got Spark program, they're in there,
their hands are dirty, they're welding. I'll I'll show you
(27:16):
from videos after they're like, you're really in there.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
I love that. Back to the March is a walk.
Tell us exactly what time it starts, exactly where you meet,
and what people need to do to get more information.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
So October first, twenty twenty five, we are meeting at
nine thirty am. I'll be there from eight thirty am
setting up. We are meeting right in front of the
Benjamin Franklin Bridge on the Philadelphia side. There's a small
island of street that has a grassy patched area. We'll
be right on the sidewalk. You won't be able to
miss us. It's going to be over one hundred people
in purple shirts. The whole gist of this, and the
point of this is to provide support, is to give
(27:51):
people a place, even if for two hours in one
whole year, to come and literally feel as if I'm understood,
I'm seen, they hear me, they are me because so
many of us live the same lives and we don't
know it because we refuse to speak about it, or
because we're too ashamed to speak about it. So just
opening their eyes and opening their minds to okay, there
(28:11):
are others like me, and I'm gonna be okay because
they're okay and they show me that it's okay to
be not okay. We also want to honor those who
aren't able to be here with us because they're no
longer here right they've fall victim to this horrible, horrible,
horrible crime. And it's also to use our voice just
to stand up and say we're not going to tolerate
it anymore. We're not going to stay quiet about it anymore.
(28:32):
My slogan is Silence is domestic violence.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
If people want more information about the walk and also
about Survivor Warrior, how do they find out more?
Speaker 3 (28:41):
You can find me on Instagram. It's Coley co l
i ee underscore taught taug h t underscore me m ee.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Thank you so much. Nicole Figueroa, founder of Survivor Warrior,
a thirty eight year old mother of two, entrepreneur, and
survivor of nearly a day decade of domestic abuse. She's
dedicated her life to raising awareness and equipping women and
youth with the tools and resources to break the cycle
of violence.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
Thank you, Thank you, Lorraine, have a blessed day.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
You can listen to all of today's interviews by going
to our station website and typing in keyword Community. You
can also listen on the iHeartRadio app ye Words Philadelphia
Community Podcast. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard.
I'm Lorraine Ballard MOREL and I stand for service to
our community and media that empowers. What will you stand for?
(29:31):
You've been listening to Insight and thank you.
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