Our Story
Rupal Patel
Independent Awakening was originally started in Chicago, IL by Neeta Bhushan. I joined the organization in 2013 after moving to the Midwest. Being in an abusive relationship right after high school, I realized there were many women like me who faced their own battles in a similar matter. We held afterschool workshops, a 6-week curriculum , we participated in non-violence 5ks, speaking engagements within the community, essentially helping and healing our survivors and preventing new ones. IA went through many layers before closing its doors in 2016. While it was no longer an active organization, it always held a special place in my heart.
“You never know what someone has gone through, but we can continue to show empathy”
Fast forward to fall of 2017, I was sexually assaulted by my personal trainer. The fear, self-isolation and toxic habits became my new norm. I never shared my story until almost a year later. The more I spoke openly about it, the more I realized I wasn’t the only one, like before, I came across many women who go through the same. Going through therapy and speaking up about my past allowed me to gain my confidence back, not having to watch over my shoulder and eventually learning to be a survivor instead of staying a victim. I realized these were the pillars we were teaching at Independent Awakening when we were active. I decided this organization needed to be present, for me, for the survivors, to tell our stories to prevent this from happening to others.
2020 was a slow start for all but I was able to build and repurpose content to get the process together and now in 2021, we are ready to launch. So many emotions to see this up and running and so much hope to make an impact within the community. My goal is to grow this organization amongst all communities within Atlanta and beyond. You never know what someone has gone through, but we can continue to show empathy and make a difference one step at a time.