Reclaiming Me Photo Series

Meggie Zayas is an activists, advocate, educator and survivor of
power based violence. She has worked and volunteered with a variety of
nonprofits, creating programs in violence prevention and education. She
has become a requested speaker throughout the Chicagoland area, sharing
her story as well as a variety of comprehensive workshops discussing
power based violence, empowerment and more.

As an avid photographer, she uses her talents to empower and uplift survivors
through her photo series. She works with survivors to take down their
stories and then photograph them with a word they feel describes
themselves, showcasing their power and beauty. Photos and stories can
be anonymous if that's what they survivors desires. All survivors sign
a consent form.

This series is for any gender, age, orientation, race, religion and
background. Power Based Violence doesn’t have a specific “type”, it can
affect anyone. "Our trauma will not control us forever and we are all
reclaiming ourselves. We will laugh, we will smile, we will share our
strength." Many photo series end the story after the survivor has
exited their abuse. Meggie includes the after affects of trauma
including PTSD, depression, anxiety and any other struggle related to
their trauma to raise awareness of the extent of trauma along with
creating a community of survivors who can share their experiences so
they don't feel as if they are the only ones experiencing these
struggles.

Survivors featured are survivors of power based violence.
What does that include? Power based violence includes domestic
violence, sexual assault, harassment (street, workplace, etc.), human
trafficking, gender based violence and more.

To view her photo series at www.reclaimingmeblog.wordpress.com.

If any survivors of power based violence are interested in participating in this photo series or have any questions email reclaimingme1@gmail.com.
www.facebook.com/reclaimingme1