October 26, 2015
By Carmen Pitre, Executive Director, Sojourner Family Peace Center
My entire career, I’ve had the privilege of meeting with women who were on the journey toward healing. All of them doing the hard work, day in and day out, to keep themselves going, to show up, find hope and working to make their lives better for themselves and their children. When I listen to their stories, I am reminded of the tremendous strength of the human spirit. I am also reminded we are all on this journey toward finding ourselves and although we may not share the history of trauma, we all have a role to play in helping each other find our way. United Way’s Women’s Job Seminar is one of the opportunities I have to meet with women who are on this journey.
The annual event draws all of us together - helpers and seekers - to create connections that will lift us up and move us forward. Officially the event is focused on employment, but I would say that the real spirit of the event is focused on human connections.
2014 Women's Job Seminar attendee and volunteer
Each year, I am greeted warmly and invited to tell my own story. I stand, in vulnerability, in front of a room full of women and I am reminded that there is no separation between me and them. We collectively need each other. I have succeeded only because other women invested in who I am, other women saw my potential, pushed me to be more than I thought I could be and held me accountable for my actions. I can tell you the name of every person upon whose shoulders I stand and I am indebted to each of them.
We need to remind each other that success is possible, that getting through is possible, that there is another side to what has happened to us. More importantly, we are here to remind each other that there is a road map to finding the life we want. There is a way to have the last word on who we are and what we will accomplish in our own lives. Sometimes the trauma we’ve experienced in the past can make us believe that we are not good enough, not smart enough and not deserving enough to have good things happen in our lives.
When we gather at an event like this, we remember that this is a lie. We remember our worth and our value and the critical role that we play in helping each other reclaim our own lives. We help each other find the voice needed to say “I will have the last word on who I am and what I accomplish in this life.”
Get Involved
About the Blogger
Carmen Pitre is the Executive Director of Wisconsin’s largest service provider for families dealing with domestic violence, Sojourner Family Peace Center. This United Way program partner provides crisis housing, system advocacy, and individual support to thousands of women, men and their children.
Pitre has been a leader in the effort to improve the way the community supports families impacted by domestic violence and is launching the creation of a new Sojourner Family Peace Center that follows the international model of a Family Justice Center.
Opening in January 2016, the new Sojourner Family Peace facility located at 619 W. Walnut Street in Milwaukee’s central city will bring together 10 co-located agencies and nonprofits with the goal of reducing violence and centralizing services for domestic violence victims in Milwaukee.