On Saturday, the National Mall appeared to bloom with butterflies. They were everywhere, on shirts and lapels, pinned to jackets and tucked into flowers resting on the ground near a stage, with the White House in the background.
One year after the death of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, hundreds of people gathered to honor her life and legacy at the Butterfly Vigil, named for her love of butterflies. Those in attendance included family members, survivors, supporters and a member of Congress.
Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin told 草莓传媒 that Giuffre, a prominent survivor of Jeffrey Epstein鈥檚 sex鈥憈rafficking operation, carried 鈥渁 lot of pain and a lot of anguish鈥� throughout her life.
鈥淪he grew up with just unspeakable abuse,鈥� Raskin said. 鈥淗er name will not be forgotten, and the names of a lot of her abusers and victimizers, the people who took advantage, will go down in history as villains, and she will be a hero.鈥�
Speakers on stage called for accountability for sexual abuse by powerful figures and spoke about Giuffre鈥檚 courage and how it inspired others to come forward.
鈥淰irginia means everything to the survivor community,鈥� said Dani Bensky, an Epstein survivor. 鈥淣ot just Epstein and Maxwell survivors, survivors as a whole. She is the reason I came forward.鈥�
Bensky said watching both Giuffre and fellow survivor Maria Farmer helped reshape how she viewed herself.
鈥淭hey changed the word 鈥榲ictim鈥� for me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 felt a sense of community, even without knowing them yet. And when I stepped out of that courthouse, I said my name. It was almost like I felt her spirit with me, pushing us along.鈥�
Near the end of the ceremony, Giuffre鈥檚 brothers and sisters鈥慽n鈥憀aw addressed the crowd, many of whom held butterflies in their hands.
鈥淚 want you to know you changed the world, Sis, you really did,鈥� her brother Sky Roberts said from the stage. 鈥淵ou continue to teach the world that it鈥檚 OK to wear your scars with pride, to show that the ugly people and ugly things that exist don鈥檛 define who you are. You do.鈥�
After the vigil, Giuffre鈥檚 older brother, Daniel Wilson told 草莓传媒 the family didn鈥檛 have time to grieve when she died by suicide in Australia, more than 10,000 miles away.
He said the gathering marked an important step in the family’s healing.
鈥淭he women standing up there with us today, we鈥檝e gotten really close,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淭hey call it trauma bonding, and it鈥檚 easy to love people who hold her in the same regard that I do.鈥�
Along with family members, survivor sisters and organizers, people from across the region came to honor the memory of the mother of three.
Linda, who traveled from North Beach, Maryland, stood near the stage, choking back tears.
Julie, from Gambrills, Maryland, said Giuffre paved the way by telling her story again and again, even when people didn鈥檛 believe her.
鈥淭hey threatened her life and her family,鈥� Julie said. 鈥淪he was so courageous. She endured so much. She deserves to be honored and remembered 鈥� and she鈥檚 an example of how to fight for what鈥檚 right, no matter what.鈥�
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