Heading to Bellefonte, Pa.–not as a journalist, but as a fellow human

If you happen to be in Bellefonte, Pa., today to show support for the Penn State victims–or for Gerald Sandusky’s preliminary hearing–and you see a blonde woman carting a satchel of books, it’s me.

I’m not lukewarm, but am either hot or cold: sometimes I take days or weeks to make a decision; other times I make them so quickly and impetuously it’s gotten me into trouble. Hopefully the decision I just made will turn out to be just the opposite, because I’m hoping to get copies of Sister of Silence into the hands of the victims. I want to do my part, to help in some small way, and that’s the best I can think of.

If you want to keep tabs on my trip today, you can follow me on Facebook or Twitter as I make my way to Bellefonte.

Please do your part to help sexual abuse victims everywhere, as this case–which is being called “a watershed moment in the understanding of child sexual abuse”–helps the world understand a crime that has long been misunderstood, and its associated fallout for the victims.

Editor’s note: Berry is the executive director of Samantha’s Sanctuary, Inc., a new 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to helping empower abused women and their children. Berry’s TEDx talk, given April 13, 2013 at Connecticut College, is now live.

Berry is the first recipient of the Pearl Buck Award in Writing for Social Change. She speaks about overcoming abuse through awareness, empowerment and goal attainment at conferences around the country. Her memoir (paperback and as an e-book) can be found at bookstores everywhere, or ordered online. To read an excerpt, please go to the Sister of Silence site. Check out the five-star review from ForeWord Reviews. Or find out why Kirkus Reviews called Berry “an engaging writer, her style fluid and easy to read, with welcome touches of humor and sustained tension throughout.”