Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 2523

Tonight's special guest is Cherie White from Covington, Tennessee, an anti bullying advocate and author who uses her own story of being bullied and gaslighted to help those enduring the same abuse today. "When I became a target of severe and chronic bullying as a sixth grader at the age of twelve," she says, "I began a long lesson in the human predator/prey dynamic and a battle for my dignity, safety, and my very soul." At first she took the physical beatings, name-calling, and abuse. Cherie was a victim of what is called 'poly-victimization'. In just six months she went from being a kid who always made the honor roll, to an angry and bitter girl who made only C’s and D’s. "Who could concentrate on schoolwork?" she asks. Cherie attempted suicide at the age of fourteen. "I almost didn’t make it." She goes on, "Because I felt powerless, I began to bully those who were even weaker than me in attempts to grab back some of my power." She reminds us that in those days bullying was considered a normal part of childhood, a rite of passage, and something she had to deal with on her own. In high school, four months pregnant, she was attacked from behind, thrown over a teacher’s desk, then kicked. Luckily, her unborn child survived. She changed schools, and the bullying stopped. She felt like a felt like a bird let out of a cage! Cherie says. "I was fortunate in that I survived and moved on to happiness and success. But many victims don’t, which is why writing about bullying and advocating for victims is my passion."