The Commonwealth of Virginia holds a unique place in American history. More presidents have come from Virginia than from any other state, shaping the political pulse and cultural direction of the nation. Known as part of the Bible Belt, Virginia has long prided itself on family values
rooted in Judeo-Christian beliefs. Yet behind this reputation lies a darker
legacy—one of sexual exploitation, silencing victims, and intertwining abuse
with American culture itself.

From the brutal practice of “breaking the
buck”—where enslaved Black men were publicly sodomized to break their spirit—to the systemic rape of enslaved women, Virginia stood beneath the shadow of the
cross,

raising her hands in piety while the blood of her victims dripped from her nails As it has been in Virginia, so too across the
nation: survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking have often been neglected,
silenced, or betrayed.

On Wednesday, September 3, 2025, women gathered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., to honor one of those
silenced voices—Virginia Giuffre. A survivor who bravely spoke out against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, her testimony exposed the reach of power and the horrors inflicted upon young women. Though her voice once rang boldly against her abusers, on April 25, 2025, it was stilled forever by suicide.

To preserve her story, I have compiled a
photojournalistic collage that traces both hercourage and the church’s complicity in the atrocities committed under the shield of religious protection—a protection that, in truth, amounted to cowardice. My purpose is
not to indict the church, but to call it back to its own standard. If America is to reclaim a moral compass, the Virginian church must lead the way. The pendulum must swing back toward the true image of Judeo Christian faith that itso often proclaims.