We recently connected with Sara Barber and have shared our conversation below.
Sara, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?
I always say that I fell into this work rather than planning my career.
I was working as a Children’s Book Buyer for an independent bookstore when a friend’s mom called and left a message asking if I’d be interested in interviewing for a program that worked with domestic violence offenders. My first knee jerk response was “No, I don’t want to work with people like that.” She persisted and called me again, told me more about the program and its executive director and asked me to at least talk with him, I agreed, mostly because I had just had my first child and working retail was difficult due to time and financial need.
I went to meet him, and we spoke for over two hours. I learned so much from him during that conversation, and he offered me the position the next day. I stayed at that agency for 13 years, leaving only to join the Coalition in 2014. My background in offender services was unusual but provided me with a more comprehensive view of working with systems and policy to effect changes that promote accountability and healing.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Over 40% of women in our state experience at least one incident of sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking during their lifetime so it is critical that we increase prevention and awareness efforts, support our member organizations in their provision of services that meet the needs of individual survivors, and provide effective public policy advocacy that works towards improving system responses to intimate partner violence.
Our role at SCCADVASA is focused on training & education, technical assistance, and policy advocacy. Our member organizations, located in communities across the state provide emergency shelter, counseling, court and medical advocacy among the many services that individual survivors need to find healing. We center our work in the values of humility, leadership, collaboration and credibility and actively seek to identify the additional or different needs of survivors from historically underserved or marginalized communities.
SCCADVASA’s legal program, established in 2018, partners with contract attorneys to provide survivors with representation in civil legal issues at no cost. This program was established to fill a gap for those who cannot afford an attorney, but who may not qualify for traditional pro-bono legal services. Last year, we served 179 survivors through this program.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
One Monday morning I was reading the paper in the morning when I read the name of a woman I had been working with during the previous month as we tried to find her path to safety. She had been critically injured in a horrifying attack by her husband. Her son was present and witnessed everything. She died a few weeks later.
At first I wanted to leave my job, to walk away from this work which takes you so close to the horror of what abusive people do. I recognized that in many ways, her death meant I needed to stay, to recognize that the work being done was important to both her and to so many others. Sadness, horror and anger were emotions that it was important to feel as I sat in my grief for her, and from which resilience and commitment would grow. It has been over 20 years since she died. I still think about her every day and her memory shapes how I approach the work I do now.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
Commitment. Resilience. Persistence.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sccadvasa.org