Gabrielle Union Speaks Out On Surviving Rape: “By The Grace of God, I Am Here Today”

Actress Gabrielle Union is acknowledging God for helping her in surviving a brutal rape when she was a teenager.

This month, the 44-year-old actress released her book titled “We're Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True.” This powerful collection of essays include one in which Union shares her dismaying experience of being raped by a gunman when she was working as a Payless shoe store employee at the age of 19.

According to the “Being Mary Jane” actress, she remembers how she was able to survive the ordeal with the grace of God.

"I had to fight for my life that day and by the grace of God I am here today 25 years later offering my testimony. Thank you Oprah for being the hand that has reached back to so many,” she wrote.

Union also took to Instagram to pay tribute to media proprietor Oprah Winfrey whose former talk show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” gave the actress advice that she applied during the experience. The Omaha, Nebraska native has been known as a strong supporter of victims of sexual assault as well as an advocate for women’s reproductive health.

 My #WCW is @Oprah. I've told this story many times in the past, but as I release my book and the sheer volume of #metoo keeps mounting, I must remind folks that it was Oprah's show that literally saved my life. She had a show about what to do if you are a victim of a violent crime. The trauma I experienced literally caused me to leave my body and disassociate what was happening to me from my mind, and it was like I was hovering over my body. All I could think of was the advice given on Oprah's show... "Do what they say and don't let them take you to a 2nd location, and if that happens, fight for your life.” I had to fight for my life that day and by the grace of God I am here today 25 years later offering my testimony. Thank you Oprah for being the hand that has reached back to so many. The voice that kept telling us we had worth and value and to live our best lives. Please let us all lift her up in the light of goodness and hold her there. Again... THANK YOU!

A post shared by Gabrielle Union-Wade (@gabunion) on Oct 18, 2017 at 12:59pm PDT

 

"The trauma I experienced literally caused me to leave my body and disassociate what was happening to me from my mind, and it was like I was hovering over my body. All I could think of was the advice given on Oprah's show... 'Do what they say and don't let them take you to a 2nd location, and if that happens, fight for your life,'" Union wrote.

Aside from sharing her experience, Dwyane Wade’s wife also went into detail about the fear and paranoia she continued to experience after the attack; she also emphasizes the efforts of the UCLA Rape Crisis Center where she has found a firm community of survivors.

“I've been there, and there is light at the end of the tunnel,” Union told E!, explaining why she feels it is important to share her story of surviving rape.

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