About Us

Co-created by the sisters and artists Salamishah Tillet and Scheherazade Tillet, A Long Walk evolved out of their creation of the Story of Rape Survivor performance (SOARS), in which Scheherazade documented Salamishah’s healing journey after being assaulted in college. First produced in 1998, almost 25 years before the #MeToo movement, SOARS provided a rare insight into the survivor’s healing journey.

Today, A Long Walk Home is one of our country’s foremost organizations that empowers girls and young women to use their voices and artistic visions to organize themselves, their communities, and our country to be free of gender-based and racial violence. To manifest this vision, we have a powerful collective of artists, activists, healers, and scholars with whom we collaborate and advocate for change.

Mission

A Long Walk Home is a national organization based in Chicago that uses art to empower young people and end violence against women and girls.

Vision

A Long Walk Home is committed to increasing resources and opportunities for girls and young women in our society who are most vulnerable to multiple forms of violence in the Chicago area, including low-income, Black girls and women, those with disabilities, and LGBTQI+-identified and gender-expansive youth.

“I’ve been a fan and funder of A Long Walk Home for over twenty years.  We all know people who have been affected by violence against girls and women, but it is a crisis that most of us are unwilling to talk about. Their programs empower young people to think critically about these issues and use their own artistic voices to make a difference.”

— John Legend

About the Team

We are committed to centering Black women, girls, LGBTQI+ individuals, and survivors in leadership roles. Our team prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion on the board to the staff and our artist advisory reflects the communities to whom we serve.