Ms. Fawn Germer writes to us from her home in Florida. Fawn is a four-time Pulitzer nominee, best-selling author and distinguished investigative reporter and correspondent for The Washington Post and U.S. News and World Report. In the earliest stages for planning and launching the Race and Campaign to Stop the Silence: Stop Child Sexual Abuse she pledged us her full commitment help make this initiative a success. Her upcoming book, Mustang Sallies: How 65 Women Bucked Their Way to the Top Without Selling Out (Penguin Putnam, Fall 2004) features interviews with the likes of Hillary Clinton, Susan Sarandon, Ann Richards, Erin Brockovich, Nadia Comaneci, and a host of other women trailblazers. Fawn Germer's trademark is "creating triumph out of defeat"-a message particularly apt for survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse and their supporters!

March 6, 2004

Greetings to Racers, Walkers, Race Organizers and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse and Visitors to the website,

Twenty years ago, I was a new reporter writing a series on child sexual abuse. I don't have to re-read the stories to remember every single victim or perpetrator I interviewed. All this time has passed and none of them have left me.

I vividly remember their names, their appearance and their stories. One woman, who was raped by her dad and brothers from the time she was 8, married a man who did the same thing to her daughters. A 16-year-old girl in counseling blamed herself for what happened. A 20-something man rationalized how he nearly killed a 3-month-old baby as he sexually assaulted her.

Back then, people were just starting to whisper about the problem. In the years since, I have interviewed many, many victims and perpetrators. Too many. Editors always question abuse statistics, saying they are too high. But, so many of my close friends have shared their own nightmares with me. This problem can't be exaggerated. It is real and it robs life from our precious children. The legacy of every victimization lingers for decades.

The secret of incest and child sexual abuse remains powerful today, but 20 years ago, perpetrators were practically given carte blanche to abuse because no one would talk about it. Children weren't believed. No more. To see this race coming to life is to see victims and survivors harness their power to protect the next generation. Run hard, run strong, run together. You are just getting started, and the road ahead is long.

I'm rooting for you all!

Fawn Germer
www.hardwonwisdom.com