Former Editor Targets Sexual Abuse With New Book

By Antonio R. HarveySpecial to the NNPA from the Sacramento Observer SACRAMENTO, Calif. (NNPA) – When journalist and author Robin D. Stone wrote an article about sexual child abuse for Essence Magazine a few years ago, the response from readers was overwhelming, sympathetic, and inspirational. After receiving letters and phone calls from numerous people on how to deal with an epidemically social disorder in the African-American community, Stone decided to expand on the article by writing the book ”No Secrets, No Lies: How Black Families Can Heal From Sexual Abuse.” Published by Doubleday/Broadway Books, ”No Secrets, No Lies” is a comprehensive resource guide designed for families seeking to understand, prevent, and overcome childhood sexual abuse. ”Because of the overwhelming response to that article, (the responses) told me that people wanted more information about sexual abuse,” Stone said in a telephone interview from New York. ”People had questions. People asked me ‘How can I find help in my part of the country?’ All that told me that there was a need for more information, and that’s what led me to start research for the book.” Stone’s 286-page book is a powerful collection of stories that break down the cultural taboos and social dynamics that has kept Black families in silence, and in return, enabled sexual abuse to persevere for generations. The author’s intentions were to bring the epidemically social disorder to the forefront of the African-American community’s consciousness, yet the quest also had a personal spin on it, too. ”One of the reasons why I wrote ‘No Secrets, No Lies,’ is that I couldn’t find information that spoke to me as a survivor, as a Black woman, and also a journalist,” said Stone. ”I share in the book that I was victim. And I thought that was very important to say and to explain how I come to understand what happened to me,” she stated. Stone, a former executive editor of Essence magazine and the founding editor in chief of essence.com, said that an estimated one and four women and one and six men are abused by the age of 18 – most often by someone they know. More importantly, Stone says, the history of slavery and stereotypes about Black sexuality also have bearings on sexual abuse in the African families. ”When you put this in the context of slavery, people who did not for hundreds of years own their bodies, that has some connection to where we are today,” Stone said. ”Being raped by slavemasters, and both Black men and women forced to breed to produce more property can be traced back to our history.” For more information about Robin D. Stone’s book, visit www.robinstone.com