How the ‘Establishment’ Covered Up My Childhood

(And why I support Hillary Clinton for president)

By Andrew J. K. O’Donnell

The Progressive Teen Editor-in-Chief

DISCLAIMER — The Progressive Teen does not endorse any one candidate and the subsequent opinion piece is solely held by the writer and not necessarily the entirety of the institution, High School Democrats of America.

IN THE UNITED STATES, the month of April has been attributed to ‘National Child Abuse Prevention Month’. Social Justice Warriors from across the country placate a mentality which fights to bring the horrendous treatment of children into the limelight through faucets such as: medical centers, community organizations, and outreach groups. In hindsight, the work many of these groups spearhead throughout the calendar year is essential, productive, and trailblazing.

However, the vast majority of this fight is forgotten, corrupt, and cannot be actualized in a mere thirty days.

According to the organization ChildHelp, based in Phoenix, Arizona — every ten seconds a report is made on the abuse of a child. Moreover, 6.6 million cases of abuse are reported a year, yet only institute a minimal 3.2 million investigative cases. This inadequate display of accessible funding, apparent investigation, and unengaged follow-ups is disheartening to those afflicted.

You can’t talk about the ‘establishment’, without acknowledging its perpetuation of neglect, corruption, and abuse to millions of children in the United States each year. It is an upsetting manipulation to believe that the only system plagued by the ‘establishment’ is the financial world. The corruption of care is rampant through all sectors of social order — and Hillary Clinton has been leading the battle charge on child welfare, poverty, and abuse for decades. Even more so, her brigade of advocacy has transcended racial, socioeconomic, gender-specific, and variants of multiple barriers, whether you want to acknowledge that or not.

As April is coming to a close, with rainstorms and flowers ushering an era of rebirth and rejuvenation, I implore you to not forget the #silencedchildren.

Rebirth and healing is only possible if we are found alive.

I am one of those children.

I was a silent survivor.

But no longer.

This is my story.

The establishment, in essence, is corrupt power within the bodies and institutions which dictate social order. Now, while the establishment’s influence in economic spheres is prevalent and problematic — it is a great deal more than the obvious display of malpractice in politics, finances, and disproportional moral complexes.

I respect Senator Bernie Sanders. I respect his supporters, and if he is the Democratic nominee — I will campaign for his election. However, for a myriad of reasons, I will support Hillary Rodham Clinton as far, and as long as possible.

Since my sophomore year of high school, I have been actively involved within the social justice community in my hometown. I have been on the roadside with protests of solidarity for BLM cities, campaigning for queer rights and Trans* remembrance movements, and on a national scale, I have worked to make sure The Progressive Teen caters to more than just political progressiveness and comments on social normalities which are problematic and skewed.

This having been said, since my work on the HRC campaign trail began in 2013, and more recently as a Fellow in 2015–16, I have experienced an interesting amount of backlash from my colleagues in the social justice community. Clinton’s record is barbarically self-fulfilling, anti racial and holistic justice, all-the-while undeniably petty according to many opinions I have been confronted with. While I respect every individual’s right to have a unique stance, catered to their own personal life story, I ask that such a mentality is applied to all members of society — and not just those who side with your ideal of progressiveness.

The ‘establishment’ is a beast much greater than financial greed and hypocritical wealth. In my own life, this beast has manifested itself in a manner that was devastating to my childhood and the years which have followed.

I sat, watching lawyers debate on who should pay more alimony- the abuser or the abused. Who should have guardianship of the children — the abuser or the neglector. Meanwhile, the professionals were calculating how many more court hearings could pay for their new house in Boca.

I testified on multiple occasions, promised my comments would be sealed, yet the lawyers would trade information to settle deals. Of course, a twelve year old wouldn’t know that. But they would receive it in spit on the face, fist beatings, and target practice from the one prescribed to ‘love’ them.

At ten years old, I stood, shackled by ageism, as important men and women, adorned in Hugo Boss suede and Prada high-heels, cared more about how much revenue they could allocate into their pockets, then what type of environment the children were living in. Corporate greed, didn’t manifest itself in ‘secret’ speeches, emails, and tax returns — it was the consumption of innocence by the legal wall disallowing freedom and security for the children who were suffering.

I experienced police officer, after police officer, respond to calls at the gray painted house — lecturing the children about acting out and respecting the parent who was ‘providing’ for them, but never bothering to lift the sleeves of the sweaters covering bruises and scars. I witnessed neighbors gossip about the noises which seeped into the breeze from open windows, the crawling harmonies of breaking glass and sobbing — but it never was anything more than gossip to them.

I helplessly pleaded with educators to end the silence, and Child Protection Services to aid my siblings and I with safety. Multiple times we were interchanged from various households, but always brought back to places of abuse.

As #silencedchildren, we were disobedient children.

I was an average child.

A ‘C’ student.

I was a ‘liar’.

A ‘naive’ child.

I was the ‘family fag’, a sexuality confused and ambivalent child.

I was worth $300 more a month in child support.

I was a disposable pawn.

It is a terrifying place, to live in such a loud world, littered with so much oppressive silence.

I am told I can’t get to a place where I trust people.

I probably won’t be able to experience a healthy relationship.

That I have a submissive, hypersensitive, and abuse-expectant personality.

In December of 2015, I was incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity of handing Secretary Clinton a copy of my first book, Nicoteane and Other Foolish Mistakes. The collection of twenty-four poems and short story, travel through my childhood experiences, the aftermath of the abuse, and the road of healing I am now stumbling on. A few months following our meeting, Secretary Clinton postmarked a letter to me, detailing her opinion of my book. The moment I read her words, I fully knew she would have been an advocate for me as a child- just as she was for thousands during her time at the Child Defense Fund.

My story is not uncommon — but it should be, could be, and will be with HRC as POTUS. With HRC in the oval office, the #silencedchildren will finally be able to see a future where our leaders have open dialogues regarding our well-being and effective safety.

It seems to be an unknown aspect of the Rodham family past, but HRC has a very personal connection to the children of this world who have faced corrupt silencing. Dorothy Howell, the late mother of Secretary Clinton, is one of us as well. The woman who gave birth to HRC, navigated a lonely and unforgiving childhood much like mine. This work is not only importantly political to HRC, but it is in her very own ancestral story to fight for those who are silenced by the powerful.

My support of Hillary Rodham Clinton is a personal one, more so than merely political.

As a #silencedchild I was told I am disobedient.

I have known Homelessness. Poverty. Corruption. Malpractice. Humiliation.

I have been told I will have problems trusting people,

but I trust Hillary Clinton.

I pray, that eventually April will no longer be ‘Child Abuse Prevention Month’, but a month of ‘Solidarity for the #silencedchildren’. Until that day, I will continue to fight, as HRC does, for my fellow #silencedchildren three hundred sixty-five days a year.

I invite you to join us.

Follow us on Twitter at @hsdems and like us on Facebook. Send tips, questions and applications to apeng@hsdems.org. The opinions expressed in TPT pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of High School Democrats of America as a whole.