Baltimore Community Fellowships
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Photo: Bruce Weller for the Open Society Foundations
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Baltimore, Maryland
2009
As a survivor of familial sexual abuse and a witness to domestic violence, Rhonda Elsey-Jones was forced to grow up early. At age three, she leaned into her baby sister's bassinet, telling her she would always take care of her. Unfortunately, when Elsey-Jones was 29, her younger sister was shot and killed by her husband. "It was the most devastating experience of my life," says Elsey-Jones, today 55. She numbed the pain with drugs. After her second arrest, a compassionate judge offered treatment and a suspended sentence. Elsey-Jones chose recovery.
Now, working with the National Women's Prison Project, Elsey-Jones will use her fellowship to assist 75 other women who have experienced trauma, have been incarcerated and have had substance abuse or mental health issues. She will introduce them to the alternative wellness therapies she used to transform her own life.
Elsey-Jones has a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's in human services administration and has taken courses toward a doctorate in educational leadership. To answer unresolved questions, she educated herself independently but still felt something was missing. After becoming involved in a trauma program, Elsey-Jones began to understand how people's experiences influenced their behaviors. In massage school, she learned to heal herself through meditation, healing stones, massage, yoga, walking, journaling and other therapies.
Women Healing Our Lives Entirely—or WHOLE—will embrace wellness, self-healing and nurturing. Groups of 25 women will meet twice a week for six months. Individuals will also have the opportunity for one-on-one interaction. They will be introduced to trauma education and awareness. They will learn meditation, journaling and identifying and naming their feelings and how to live in the present moment. Yoga, nutrition, art, music and sound and dance therapy will also be offered. After several months, sessions will be available for the women's children, family members and significant others. During the last months of the program, participants will be able to participate in job readiness training and GED classes. Participants will learn to advocate for themselves, and each class of 25 will support the next class.
Elsey-Jones ultimately wants people to understand that past experiences need not dictate their lives. "When you continue to believe you are a victim, you operate under a victim mentality. But when you start believing and feeling that you have some power to change, you have the power to do that," she says. How does one know she has healed? "When it doesn't hurt to talk about it," she says. "That's what being WHOLE really means."
