Trucker Tough: Bernadette Greene-Placentia on Surviving an Attack and Refusing to Quit Her Race for Congress
Jill Wine-Banks talks with Bernadette Greene-Placentia, the Democratic candidate in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District. A former long-haul trucker and small-business owner with more than four million miles on the road, she explains why that experience qualifies her for Congress and what she’d tackle first, from Social Security and health care to lowering the cost of household goods.
In August, while repairing her campaign signs late at night, Bernadette was sexually assaulted. She talks openly about the shock, anger and self-blame that followed, why she waited to report, and what friends, family and hotlines can do to help a survivor, including documenting what happened and getting a rape kit even before deciding whether to go to the police. And she explains why dropping out of the race never crossed her mind.
If you or someone you know needs help, the National Sexual Assault Hotline is free, confidential and open 24/7: call 800-656-4673 (800-656-HOPE), text HOPE to 64673, or chat online at the link below.
HELP AND RESOURCES
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-4673
RAINN https://rainn.org/
National Sexual Violence Resource Center https://www.nsvrc.org/
Joyful Heart Foundation https://www.joyfulheartfoundation.org/
End the Backlog (untested rape kits) https://www.endthebacklog.org/
LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE
AP: Arizona congressional candidate says she was sexually assaulted while fixing campaign signs
https://www.ksat.com/news/politics/20…
Joanna Connors, I Will Find You (Grove Atlantic)
Jill Wine-Banks