Dana Rae McKinley

I'm very excited to have a group art exhibition with and -- two incredibly talented friends! Reception will be Sunday August 10th & feature live Music from JONE, a side project of ! Homies supporting homies 💕

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I've collaborated with .archibald to create a special print to benefit My Sister's place! The prints will be available all month at Casa Nueva, Bleeding Heart Boutique, Donkey Coffee, and Whit's in uptown Athens!

Here's a transcript of my story I wrote on the back of the print, that describes the struggle of finding empowerment as a survivor of assault.

CW: Discussions of SA, PTSD
The aftermath of being assaulted--the powerlessness you feel as emotions swim in your mind: the pain, the anger, the shame-- are overwhelming to navigate. Especially in a society *specifically crafted* to laugh in the face of autonomy for anyone who doesn't match the description of the most diabolical seats of power. 
I was 16 when I was first accosted in a gas station by a man who was four times my age. Not only did the emotions overwhelm me, but I felt something that I had never really grappled with before: Wrath.

Wrath is complicated, you feel guilty for feeling such intense hatred especially when accelerated by disgust & the disrespect of breached boundaries, and the violence that comes with such bubbling emotions. I hid it away for years, thinking that acting viscerally was unproductive--one impulsive, reactive move would easily destroy my life. Even if I knew, in my heart I was never to blame for these dangerous power-plays.
Years flew by. I survived several harrowing experiences with monsters I thought loved me. Who I thought were my friends. Coworkers. Therapists. Complete strangers.

And then, I discovered a new kind of wrath through survivorship: Self-advocacy. The moment that I started making enough noise about predatory behavior, I was able to find a safer community, it encouraged the people around me to also stand against a culture of misogynistic violence. 

I think that this kind of Wrath can come in several different forms; public self-advocacy is a privilege, and the privileged must rally and empower the underprivileged. We must protect one another.
I have found empowerment in wrath and activism. Letting my voice be heard in spite of the violence targeted against me. I've allowed it to radicalize me. Much like a flower breaking through concrete.