How Kelechi Okafor Turned Trauma into a Catalyst for Advocacy for Marginalised Voices

It's not that people do not have a voice; everyone has a voice. The question is, who is willing to listen to those voices? So if my voice, relatively speaking, is heard more, then I have to be able to signpost and amplify the concerns of those that society likes to push further into the margins.

Violet Simon

by Violet Simon

October 29, 2024 ∙ 5 min read

I have encountered a variety of challenges that have been a catalyst for me to challenge the status quo. Trigger warning: sexual abuse. One of the main ones that stands out to me is being sexually abused as a child, and what I felt was robbed from me in terms of childhood and innocence and seeing the world in a brighter, safer way. This made me challenge the status quo because I would never want something similar to happen to other girls or children.

I know that, unfortunately, this is a regular occurrence in our society, and it shouldn't be. Challenging the status quo is so that things would be different and the most vulnerable among us don't have to fear exploitation, abuse, and their light taken away or dimmed - whether momentarily or, in some tragic cases, permanently. This motivates me to support, advocate for, and help create a world that better serves the most vulnerable among us.

It's not that people do not have a voice; everyone has a voice. The question is, who is willing to listen to those voices?

This post is only for paying members only

Become a paying Disruptors member to read this post and gain access to more exclusive stories, events, opportunities and community while supporting an independent media company.