On Feb. 2, Cru invited Nicole Braddock Bromley to speak to a crowd of students in Mees Auditorium about her experience with childhood sexual abuse.
“We wanted to do an event on campus that we could [make] campus wide … [Sexual abuse] is pressing in our society [and] is very easily overlooked,” said Jonathan Bogdany, junior nursing major and member of Cru.
Bromley opened her speech by explaining where she was from and how even though she might seem very different from someone in the audience, they might have something in common.
“This issue … spans all borders, it undermines all relationships, and it speaks in the universal language of human emotion, so as I share some stories with you tonight I think you’ll discover that we aren’t so different after all.”
She continued by speaking of her home life and how as an outsider looking in, it would look like the perfect life. She played sports, was homecoming queen, had a step-sister who was her best friend, and a mother who loved her.
She revealed that her step-father had sexually abused her for about a decade, and that it wouldn’t be until she was 15 that she would finally open up to her mother about what he had done to her. For Bromley, it was a very difficult time in her life, especially after reporting him to children services and fearing for both her life and her mother’s as they awaited trial.
Except Bromley would never go to trial to face her step-father, because one week after she reported him, he committed suicide. For a year, Bromley’s didn’t speak openly about her abuse. Her silence would be broken when she went to a Christian youth summer camp in Sandusky, Ohio.
At the end of camp, they hosted an open mic for anyone to come up and speak. Bromley decided to share her experience with sexual abuse.
At first, Bromley said, it was awkward. But a few days she went home, she started receiving letters in her mailbox thanking her for being courageous enough to share her story. Some who sent letters also said that they had gone through the same thing, or were going through the same thing.
Over the years, Bromley has shared her story and used her faith in God to help spread the word about sexual abuse and how to stop these horrible acts. She is the author of three books, “Hush,” “Breathe,” and “SOAR.” She is also founder of OneVOICE and OneVOICE 4freedom, which resolve to stop child sex trafficking around the world.
