Monica Zuniga Bailey Shares How She Found Healing, Connection and Life on the Other Side of Rape
PLANO, Texas, Jan. 19, 2022 – In the new White Chair film released by global storytelling organization I Am Second, Monica Zuniga Bailey, founder of the online organization, We Are Unveiled, details her experiences as a young woman carrying guilt and shame after being drugged and raped by a nameless man. Her story provides insight into the secret struggles shared by many other victims of sexual assualt.
“I thought it was completely my fault and that I had failed,” Zuniga Bailey said. “I tried to convince myself that it was a nightmare and all wasn’t true. But it was. I promised myself that I would never tell anyone and if I did, I would be judged.”
Zuniga Bailey pushed down feelings of unworthiness and continued in destructive habits. It was only when another man tried to drug her at a bar that she knew a change needed to be made. That night she did something she hadn’t in a long time: she had a conversation with God.
“I asked God that if He was real, He needed to say something in that moment,” Zuniga Bailey said. “I felt the voice of God telling me to look up the meaning of my middle name –- Amanda. I found out it means ‘worthy of love,’ and in that moment, I felt a physical wrap-around presence of God come around me and save me.”
Zuniga Bailey came to understand that while sexual assault was part of her story, it did not define her identity.
In the film, Zuniga Bailey also recalls a night where she was able to open up to a room of girls for the first time, only to realize that over half of the women in the room had actually been through similar experiences.
“I finally knew it was not my fault. It was not God’s heart for me to lose my virginity that way. I was not damaged goods,” said Zuniga Bailey. “That night was pivotal for me in taking the steps toward healing to truly experience life on the other side of rape.”
Zuniga Bailey now regularly shares about her past and encourages women to embrace their true identity and purpose.
To watch the exclusive I Am Second film, visit iamsecond.com/monica.
About I Am Second
I Am Second is a nonprofit launched in 2008 that ignites hope and inspires people to live for God and for others. Its website, iamsecond.com, features written and film-based stories of more than 100 athletes, actors, models, musicians, cultural influencers and everyday people who have stepped in front of the camera and declared, “I Am Second.” For information, visit iamsecond.com.
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