Letter to the Editor:
The Ignored and Forgotten Victims here in Southwest VA
By Cindy Green, Democratic Candidate for House of Delegates, District 44
The news is finally paying attention to the long-ignored Epstein victims, young girls who were sexually abused and then suffered more abuse from the legal system while begging the American people for justice.
But I want to talk about another group of victims. Ones that live right here in Southwest Virginia. Victims most folks don't see. Or don't want to.
Statistically, one in four children in this country experience domestic abuse. In rural areas like ours, some studies say it’s closer to one in three. Let that sink in.
If you’ve heard me speak on the campaign trail, you’ve heard me talk about my story. I grew up in a home where my mother was the victim of domestic violence. I watched her struggle to survive, and I carried that pain with me every day. At 15, I started working just to buy my own school clothes. That’s the kind of upbringing you don’t forget and I haven’t.
I chose to fight and to work.
I raised two daughters while working and going to school. I built a career helping families, first through nonprofits, then community lending. I’ve been on both sides of the table: the one asking for help and the one trying to give it. And through it all, I’ve seen how many women and children are hanging on by a thread. I’ve seen how few people in power even notice. Or care.
So when I see politicians cut funding for domestic violence shelters, mental health care, and basic healthcare…especially Medicaid…I know exactly who’s going to pay the price. Not them. Not the lobbyists. Not the billionaires.
It’s the victims. The forgotten ones.
That’s why I’m running for Delegate.
I’m not running because I want a title or a seat at some fancy table in Richmond. I’m running because I was that little girl who didn’t think anyone would fight for her. And now, I want to be the one who fights…for every child like her, every struggling mother, every survivor trying to rebuild.
I will be the hardest working Delegate in Richmond. I will fight like someone who knows what it’s like to need help and not find it. Because I’ve lived it.
So when I talk about being a voice for the ignored and forgotten, I mean it. I am one of them. And I haven’t forgotten.
If you give me your vote, I promise you this: I will work for you, not for myself or the wealthy few. I will fight for those still waiting to be seen. And I will make sure no child in District 44 grows up believing they have to stay silent to survive.
Cindy Green
Democratic Candidate for House of Delegates
District 44
📬 www.CindyGreen4VA.com
📩 [email protected]
🔗 https://linktr.ee/CindyGreen4VA