Uma Ramiah Photo
“My name is Shayla Streater,” said a woman standing in front of a crowd at the Stetson Library. “And I was sexually abused.”
The occasion: an event meant to destroy taboos and open up an honest, safe dialogue about child abuse in New Haven. Streater organized the event. And she was the first one to speak — honestly, openly and personally.
An eligibility worker for the Connecticut Department of Social Services, Streater teamed up with the Stetson Public Library on Dixwell Avenue to bring poets, artists, social workers and non-profits together on Wednesday evening for a night of presentations and poetry about cycles of child abuse in the community.
The event drew 30 people to start, including many elementary school kids.
“Child abuse has become one of those taboo subjects,” Streater said before the event, called “Broken Fences: The Cycle of Abuse.”
“And people don’t want to talk about it. But you have to talk about these things to heal. And we want these kids to know that they have support.”
She took her own words to heart, opening up the night with a raw, heartfelt poem about her own experiences with abuse.
Streater’s co-organizer, artist Cody Norris, teamed up with poets and musicians to create a CD and T‑shirts for sale at the event. He also designed fliers advertising the night. “Come and help raise awareness for the prevention of abuse and violence on children,” the poster read.
“This is our first time doing this,” Norris explained. “But we’re hoping to start a community around this issue, and start talking about this in the community so people, especially kids, feel like there’s a safe place and somewhere to go for help.”
A poet called “Midnight” was up next.
“This poem is about my father,” he said.
Click on the video to hear a sample of Midnight’s poem.
“I’ve been clean for 17 years, and I haven’t seen you since I was 17. You do the math.”
The night also included a presentation by Nicole Von Oy, training and outreach coordinator for Love 146, a not-for-profit fighting human trafficking both in the United States and internationally. She spoke of the reality of modern day slavery, encouraging people to educate themselves about the issue.
Margaret McGovern of Art Therapy of Hamden also spoke, suggesting that art, music and drama are healthy outlets for expression and healing in the case of abuse.
Stetson Library Branch Manager Diane Brown said she hopes Broken Fences will come back soon: Stetson hosts a family night once every month. She’s asked Norris to return to the library to run a writing workshop for local kids.
“I felt really positive about this event,” she said. “Being a former battered woman myself and a single mom, I was able to relate to a lot of the poetry.”
When Streater and Norris came to her with the idea, Brown said, she was happy to provide the space, and get the word out to the community.
“Really the one of the most important things to know is that violence and abuse, these things affect all types of families,” she said. “They cross all lines — ethnic, religious, social — everyone experiences violence, and it’s important for the community to understand, acknowledge and work to deal with that.”
By the end of the evening, more than 80 people attended the event. “People were receptive, and they listened and asked questions,” Brown said. Local kids offered their own testimonies about abuse and violence.
Brown called the evening powerful, especially in light of the recent spate of murders in New Haven.
“This was so timely, and so positive,” Brown continued. “It was a great way for people to come together in the community and talk.”