Being Victim 125 | Sarah Klein | TEDxRapidCity
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Sarah Klein |
TEDxRapidCity
• June 2019
As a young girl, Sarah Klein was penetrated by a grown man, her beloved friend Larry Nassar, three to four times a week, every week, every year, for 17 straight years. The effects of that trauma disconnected her from the world for much of her life, continuing into adulthood. Since confronting Larry in court, Sarah’s life has finally begun to move again. Sarah's impactful talk explores pushing boundaries, setting boundaries, and the line between victim and self-identity.
Sarah Klein is a victims' attorney, advocate, and a former competitive gymnast. Sarah is also one of the first known victims of former Olympic Women's Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, and in July 2018, at the ESPYs, Sarah accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award on behalf of herself and the hundreds of other survivors of Nassar's sexual abuse. Prior recipients of the Ashe award include Nelson Mandela, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and Robin Roberts.
Her op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "I lobbied to change the law after I was abused by Larry Nassar," caught the attention of Pennsylvania's Attorney General, and she has worked in multiple states for statute of limitations reform that will bring survivors healing and justice.
Sarah is an alumna of Columbia University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Global Entrepreneurship Program.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx