Dr. Erlange Elisme

The School Bell Rings, But Home Remains the Foundation As August winds down and backpacks fill our living rooms, Haitian parents across Georgia are preparing for another school year. But before our children step into those hallways, we have the sacred opportunity to strengthen the foundation they carry with them: the emotional safety of home.

October arrives each year as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, prompting communities across the nation to pause and acknowledge the deep pain of abuse. During this time, we work to lift up the voices of survivors. Yet for many immigrant families, silence speaks a language louder than words. Stories of violence remain locked behind closed doors, often hidden by layers of shame, fear, and cultural expectations.

"We gathered as one... and we rise as many." These words closed my spoken word piece at the recent Eritaj Gala, but they carry a truth that extends far beyond that evening. They speak to something our ancestors understood deeply: that healing, like trauma, happens in community.