Uniting to End Violence Against People with Disabilities is a national Coalition comprised of activists with disabilities as well as disability rights and anti-violence advocates. The work of this Coalition is funded by the NoVo Foundation and led through a partnership between the Vera Institute of Justice and the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV). Cathy Saunders, a member of the Coalition, is the author of “A Catalyst of Peace." Her poem is a call to action to end violence against people with disabilities.
A Catalyst of Peace
By Cathy L. Saunders
© Saunders 2011
I want to be a catalyst of peace.
Where there is sexual violence
Let me show sexual liberation
and patience.
Where there is ignorance of knowledge
Let me educate.
I want to be a catalyst of peace.
Bring forth the comrades who will labor with me.
Where there is pain,
Make me a salve to heal the hurt.
Provide my hands with a tender touch,
So that hearts will permeate and know love.
Let me work hard and not tire;
May my word inspire my brothers and sisters as I labor
for an end to sexual violence for women with disabilities.
I pray for the day when they see themselves as they truly are:
Soulful, Beautiful, Sensual, Titillating, Captivating, Illuminating,
Women of Distinction.
A catalyst of peace worthy of royalty
Are you committed or do I stand alone?
How many with me shall stand?
To be a catalyst of peace?
Cathy Lynn Saunders was born in Chicago, reared on the south side, educated in the Chicago public school system, and continued her educational goals at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. An avid reader, she developed an interest in writing and later a talent for poetry. She nurtured her need for self-expression and honed a passion for both written and spoken word through performance when requested for weddings, funerals, church socials, and the like. A mentor with Access Living’s mentor-mentee role model program for approximately 6 years and a strong advocate for people with disabilities, women and girls in particular.
