It didn’t matter that she was a mother and soldier in the United States Army, Megan Harris endured abuse from her spouse for more than two decades, before gaining the courage to get out of a situation that was an abusive nightmare.
“It starts with learning to love yourself. It took me 20 years to get to a place of self-love,” said Harris, an English professor at a local institution.
Researchers say an average of 20 people are physically abused by intimate partners every minute; this equates to more than 10 million abuse victims annually.
Here are the numbers: 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have been physically abused by an intimate partner; and 1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men have been severely physically abused by an intimate partner.
From soldiers like Harris, to college professors, and ministers of the gospel, domestic violence affects people regardless of age, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, or nationality. Researchers say physical violence often accompanies emotional abuse, which is part of a much larger problem of dominance and control by the perpetrators.
This weekend, Oct. 6-Oct.8, Dr. Jasmin “Jazz” Sculark will celebrate her birthday and ministry with her conference, “Finally Me 4 Real,” concluding with a Sneaker Ball. She said the conference will offer tools to assist being comfortable in loving oneself.
“It’s about learning to love yourself,” said Scurlark, lead pastor of Victory Grace Center in Bowie. “I believe that no one can love you until you learn to love yourself.”
Sculark said the ways people express love and self-love can vary.
“Most of us come from one of the spectrums,” she said. “Some people are selfish or self-centered and on the other hand, some people are selfless and we assume that being selfless is a good thing. But you need to understand that an individual should be loved and experience love, and because of that we look for love in all the wrong places.”
The Bowie pastor said the events and ball are designed for people to have fun without the stress of high heels and dressing up.
“I have been in the DMV and the purpose of this event is to empower women that even during the difficulty and hard times I’m still here,” said Sculark, who initially came to the area to Pastor what used to be Jericho City of Praise after the death of Apostle Betty Peoples. But after a legal fight among the church’s leadership, Sculark moved on to a new ministry.
Messiah Community Church Brings Community Together, Encourages Spreading Love
On Sept. 30, Messiah Community Church in Reisterstown, Maryland held “ Love People Day,” which attracted several hundred people and featured many recording artists, a DJ, and food trucks,
“Love People Day was an opportunity for people to show unconditional kindness to everyone they encounter, “ said Maya Elizabeth, one of the recording artists who performed at the event. “ “We were already planning a free, family-friendly concert event to show love to our community, and doing it on Sept. 30 turned out to be the perfect day! “
“We are striving to reach our community with a message of hope for healing and overcoming,” she explained. “Lots of folks came out and enjoyed amazing music of various genres, yummy food, and the warmth of community! It was so much fun and a great way for us to participate in Love People Day.”
Elizabeth, whose father Is Rod Hairston, senior minister and founder of Messiah Community Church, said that the congregation was founded to help people grow stronger and thrive in every area of their lives.
“Music has the power to heal but at our church, we are also teaching a series called whole in one,” Hairston said. “The whole premise of the series is for people who are single to see themselves as whole.”
Domestic Violence Awareness Events Throughout October
There are many events surrounding domestic violence in October, which was first declared as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in 1989. Since then, October has been a time to acknowledge domestic violence survivors, be a voice for its victims and empower others to combat the problem and speak out against it.
People in need of a safe place can call the District’s hotline at: 1-844-443-5732 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224. Both Hotlines are available 24/7.
