A Long Walk Home
About A Long Walk Home
A Long Walk Home, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, emerged from a powerful personal and artistic journey when sisters Salamishah and Scheherazade Tillet created the Story of Rape Survivor performance (SOARS) in 1998—nearly 25 years before the national #MeToo movement brought these conversations into mainstream discourse. What began as a documentation of one survivor's healing journey has evolved into a national organization dedicated to empowering girls and young women to reclaim their voices and transform their communities. The organization centers Black women, girls, LGBTQI individuals, and survivors in all leadership roles, from the board to staff to their artist advisory council, reflecting a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. A Long Walk Home serves the most vulnerable young people in the Chicago area and across the nation, particularly those facing multiple intersecting forms of violence. Supported by a distinguished artist advisory that includes acclaimed writers, visual artists, performers, and cultural leaders, the organization combines therapeutic healing with artistic expression and social activism. The mission is rooted in the belief that art can be a vehicle for both personal transformation and collective liberation, enabling young people to think critically about systemic violence while using their own creative visions to organize for change. With a team of operations directors, clinical psychologists, curriculum specialists, and creative arts professionals, A Long Walk Home provides comprehensive, culturally responsive programming that honors the resilience and brilliance of the young people it serves.