Taweaka Martin's first domestic violence experience came as a teenager. Her face is still scarred from the many times she was hit so hard that her teeth punctured her lips.
The Valrico woman grew up in Miami, witnessing her mother suffer through similar experiences, and later, saw her daughter go through it, too.
So, four years ago, she created Annie Mae's Women of Courage — named after her mom. Every year since then, she's taken a group of women on a cruise to help them heal and break the cycle of abuse.
"I didn't even think I would live to raise my own kids, and I got to meet 17 of my grandkids. God is good. And that's why I decided to do something with all of that pain, all of that hurt, all of that lostness, confusion, and just do something amazing for these women,” Martin said.
She raises the money each year to make sure the women — and this year, one male survivor — don’t pay a penny. She solicits donations from the community, sells Krispy Kreme vouchers, and holds charity brunches to pay for the trip.
On the Royal Caribbean cruise, they'll exercise, pray and paint together — and share their stories in group therapy.
"If anybody is triggered by anything, I made sure I have people in place to put us back together before we get off the ship. And also, it's a beautiful vacation, and they really already paid for it with their blood, sweat and tears,” Martin said.
One in 4 Florida women and 1 in 10 men experience relationship violence, according to the most recent report by the Florida Partnership to End Domestic Violence. That’s tens of thousands of people a year, and even that is likely underreported.
Martin hopes to help people become more than those statistics, to help them thrive, to help them through the healing process with this cruise.
“I know some people cannot make the connection with, what does domestic violence have to do with a cruise? It's the same thing if I rented out a resort, took them to a retreat. We're on land. We're discussing the same topics, but why not put them on a big, beautiful ship?” Martin asked.
“Because every day we're unpacking a hot topic: domestic violence. We're discussing it. You're being re-traumatized. You're telling your story, or you're listening to somebody else tell their story, and you're re-traumatizing these women when they're there. So why not do it on the ship?”
Martin’s grateful for her time at a shelter after she escaped abuse, and for the many organizations that help domestic violence victims escape bad situations, but said it isn’t enough. Battered women’s shelters limit the time you can spend there, she said, and victims often go back to their abusers to put a roof over their heads, and often, over their kids’ heads, too.
Even if people who experience relationship abuse find their way out of it and land on their feet financially, they’re not thriving, Martin said.
“Aftercare is what's needed,” she said. “She's still wounded. When she got out of the shelter, she can't fly. Her wings are still broken, and mentally, she's still all over the place.”
Martin said her ultimate goal is to own a home to house women and to help them get back on their feet after they leave their abusers — with no time limit forcing them out prematurely.
If you’re interested in contributing to Martin’s nonprofit to help pay for the 22 survivors she wants to take on this year’s cruise, you can email her at anniemaeswoc@yahoo.com. You can also pay Royal Caribbean directly.
