Gabrielle Union experienced a woman's worst nightmare when she was raped at the age of 19, but as she tells O, The Oprah Magazine for its April issue, she turned the ordeal into a lesson.
"It wasn't long before I became uncomfortable with feeling like a victim," Union said, so she picked out which of the people in her life were there to help her and which were only "so-called friends." She credited therapy with helping her determine who was there to promote "survivorhood" and "victimhood."
According to a message on her Twitter page, the recent interview turned out to be one of Union's favorite perhaps because of her commitment to empowering other women who've been through similarly traumatic experiences. In 2009, the 39-year-old actress spoke before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her rape and last year sat on the National Advisory Committee on Violence Against Women. In February, Union continued on her mission by hosting a briefing on teen dating violence.
"Good mornin good ppl! Nat'l Advisory Committee meetings on Violence Against Women (& children) 2 day...tryin 2 make a difference," she tweeted.
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