In 2007, my older sister, Megan, was brutally murdered by her husband. For several years to follow, a myriad of questions lingered, awaiting an answer, a reason, something (ANYTHING) to make sense of such a mindless act. Then in 2010, his trial was held and he was convicted and sent to prison.
What a joyous moment...right?
Time to celebrate...right?
Justice is served...right?
Wrong.
There is no joy, celebration or justice in Megan's death or in watching a man, who was my brother (in law), be taken away in chains. And especially no peace without ever understanding or getting a clear answer as to why he did what he did.
In the time since then, I've been on a long journey of grief, anger, healing and forgiveness. I've come to realize that I don't want to know the "Why?!" There is absolutely no justifiable answer to domestic violence on any level, ever. Yet it is one of the most common injustices in our society.
I believe Megan is in a place of complete freedom now but this does not silence her story. Thousands of women are victims of domestic violence every day, all over the world. The weight of this injustice compelled me to get involved. I believe that when we show support and love for our communities, everyone benefits. I volunteer with the WINGS program in Chicago; an organization that provides a continuum of integrated services in an effort to end domestic violence and homelessness. WINGS walks side by side with women, advocating for their empowerment and in turn giving them the strength to work, continue their education and care for their families.
Seven days a week, as a handbag designer, I am able to design, produce and deliver a quality-made product to my customers. One of those days each week, I get to contribute time to an organization that works tirelessly to empower the lives of people victimized by violence. This parallel has inspired me to bring those two worlds together. With the rollout of Collection #3 (in 2014), CHC began donating 10% of the profits from each purchase to WINGS.
To learn more about WINGS, click
here.
To shop & show support, click
here.