Nationwide — The month of April has been designated as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Dr. Linda J.M. Holloway has released her new book Little Miss Linda Speaks Out About Rape. And, what better time to speak loudly and boldly about rape. Yes, rape can be an extremely difficult topic to discuss. It is often buried not only in the survivor’s memory but even in society. The question becomes, “Why doesn’t anyone want to speak on a topic that is said to occur every 68 seconds in America?” This amounts to every 9 minutes, an individual is sexually violated.
• 1 out of 4 Black girls will be sexually abused by the age of 18
• 1 out of 5 Black women report being survivors of rape.
• For every Black woman who becomes a survivor of rape, at least 15 of those women will not file a report.
• Black women on college campuses who have been sexually assaulted are less likely to be believed.
Therefore, we can no longer afford not to have these conversations with our children. They need to know that it is okay to tell someone when they have been sexually violated and reminded that it is not their fault. Certainly, this is no easy task, and oftentimes, children do not have the language or cognitive development to share such horrific event(s). Knowing what to say, how to say it, and who to say it to is extremely important because children may not have the language or emotions to share such stories.
Dr. Holloway wanted to create a platform where she could speak to young girls as well as women who had been sexually violated. Therefore, authoring the book, Little Miss Linda Speaks Out About Rape is a resource that allow parents, counselors, social works, mental health providers, and psychologists to initiate a conversation around the topic of rape. Dr. Holloway says she is often asked why she put the word rape in the title of her book since it can be considered harsh language when speaking to children. Her response was, “There is power in language.” Therefore, being able to say out loud and even to yourself what has happened to you can be extremely liberating. It also allows the community to become more familiar with hearing the term so they can open up the space to dispel many myths concerning rape.
Many people have a lot of preconceived ideas and thoughts concerning rape. Thus, it is extremely important to create a safe and brave place for conversations and healing to take place. Little Miss Linda Speaks Out About Rape is about a little girl who gets home early from school and a man attacks her while she is home alone. Little Miss Linda has no recollection of what happened to her, because she blacks out. However, her mother explained to her what happened after seeking professional counseling and support, she needed to heal. Little Miss Linda develops a passion to want to support other young girls who may have become survivors or rape. She calls her program, “STAR” which stands for “Survivors Talking About Rape.” Little Miss Linda’s program was such a success that she went around the world helping children speak out about rape.
The author, Dr. Linda J.M. Holloway, understands and respects the fact that this is an extremely difficult and sensitive topic to discuss with children. Therefore, she attempts to make it as light-hearted and interactive as possible by having the children locate hidden stars throughout the book, sign a pledge, and engage in answering LOL questions, which stands for Learning Out Loud. It is these ideas that allow Dr. Holloway to make the topic of rape and sexual assault as approachable and manageable as possible.
You can support Dr. Holloway in her journey of hope and healing of Black women and rape through her program, “STAR” by purchasing her book on Amazon.
Book Trailer: miss linda talk about rape video.mp4
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About the Author:
Dr. Linda J. M. Holloway is an Associate Professor at Alabama State University, where she has been teaching for the past seven years. Her areas of research interest are the intersections of Black women and mental health, as well as black women and career counseling.
Dr. Holloway is an award-winning author of 8 children’s books, a storyactivist, and a social justice poet. Additionally, she retired from the military after serving 27 years and successfully completing 4 combat tours as Colonel from the United States Army Reserves Medical Services Corp. She lives by her own two philosophies, “Always Willing Serve” and “Dream Your Own Dreams.”
She is also well known around the world for her curriculum study guides: “Curriculum Study Guide for Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Performance”, “Black Fathers Matter: Unpacking the Kirk Franklin Story,” and “Curriculum Study Guide about the Montgomery Riverboat Brawl.”
In her spare time, she loves spending time with family and friends, catching a good movie, reading a good book, and doing absolutely nothing.
For press inquiries, contact lindahollowayspeak@gmail.com