MUSKEGON, Mich. — Henrietta Hadley has been a military brat, a military spouse, and a fierce advocate for her fellow woman. Through all of those experiences, she as learned the importance of people being able to tell their stories.
That’s why Hadley, as the outreach coordinator at WINC For All Women Veterans, is trying to get as many women veterans as she can to attend a creative writing seminar coming up Sunday, March 27 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts in Muskegon.
“There are over 44,000 Women Veterans that reside in the state of Michigan. And of those 44,000 women veterans, a large percentage of those women suffer with PTSD, due to the trauma that they experienced while serving our country, or even due to something even more hideous, called a military sexual trauma. And a lot of times, they don't share that with anyone when they come home,” Hadley said.
“Women veteran suicides have increased over the last four years by over 80%, compared to their male counterparts. So for women veterans, right now, they're walking in silence. They're suffering in silence. And so now that we know this, it’s an issue for all of us.”
Leaders from WINC hope learning to tell their stories more effectively may be therapeutic for women veterans. And as part of Women’s History Month, they’re also hoping to be able to document the stories of women who have served our country as part of the armed forces.
“Our women want to write a book, and this would be great because I would be able to take some of these stories and put into this book called ‘She Served,’ and ‘She Served’ would have these amazing small short stories unfold. And we could then share that to the community so that other folks can be healed through the power of the pen and the voice of the heart,” Hadley said
The writing workshop will be taught by “OneSingleRose,” a poet, spoken word artist, author, actress, singer, playwright and filmmaker from Detroit.
“We’re excited about that, because a lot of our women veterans have said to us, they don't always know how to channel their emotions. They don't always know how to tell our story or to lift our voices,” Hadley said.
The writing workshop is the culmination of a weekend of events hosted by WINC. There will be a veterans meet up on Friday, March 25 from 6 to 9 at the Paradise Banquet Center on Broadway in Muskegon Heights. On Saturday, March 26 from noon to 3, WINC will be honoring women veterans and the stakeholders that have supported the organization through the pandemic.
Anyone interested in attending the writing workshop is encouraged to call WINC at 231-332-3859 and leave a message to RSVP.
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