National Speaker, bestselling author and survivor Darlene Lekowski delivers poignant speech at inaugural Survivors’ Solidarity March
Empowering survivors and advocates, Lekowski urges key legal reforms
so survivors are no longer silenced
Washington, D.C., September 29, 2026 — National speaker, bestselling author and survivor Darlene Lekowski joined prominent survivor advocates and organizations as a keynote speaker on Saturday, September 26, for the inaugural Survivors’ Solidarity March in Washington, D.C. She delivered a compelling address emphasizing the vital importance of breaking the silence around sexual abuse and enacting legal safeguards for survivors who choose to share their stories publicly.
Lekowski shared her personal journey as a survivor of childhood sibling sexual trauma and abuse (SSTA) and decades of silence to prevailing in a scurrilous defamation lawsuit brought by her abuser to advocating for legislative protections. Today, she uses her experience to advocate for survivors and systemic reform and help others find the strength to speak out.
“Perpetrators should never be allowed to weaponize defamation lawsuits to silence and traumatize their victims all over again,” Lekowski shared during her address. “That’s why I’m standing here today, why I’m marching and why I’m partnering with AnneMarie and Victoria on the Speak Your Truth Act. Speaking up is important. But I’m telling you it’s not enough. We have to fix the system! It’s time to change the law!”
The Survivors’ Solidarity March highlighted vital topics through powerful storytelling and personal accounts, alongside Lekowski inspirational keynote speeches delivered by other prominent advocates for victims’ rights. Victoria Burke, Esq., is the architect of the Speak Your Truth Act. AnneMarie Hauben, a survivor who co-founded the Survivors’ Solidarity March with Dana DiFilippo, has faced public attacks since speaking out about her abuser, a local politician in Massachusetts. Together with Lekowski, they are working to protect survivors who share their stories.
Lekowski stood alongside demonstrators at the capital and led a mile-and-a-half procession from the rally site at the George Gordon Meade Memorial before proceeding directly to the grounds of the White House. Escorted safely along the route, participants were guided by Minute Marshals while the Metropolitan Police Department halted traffic. Throughout the march, onlookers paused to film the crowd, showing encouragement and solidarity.
The Survivors’ Solidarity March grew into a nationwide day of collective action as survivor justice organizations joined to help organize marches and rallies across the country. Participating cities expanded beyond Washington, D.C., with partner events and actions in communities across Los Angeles, CA; Denver, CO; Topeka, KS; Providence, RI; Des Moines, IA; Pittsburgh, PA; and Austin, TX.
The national coalition supporting the march included 50501 DC; Bloom Safe; Deaf Mental Health Hub; Flare USA; Hire Survivors, including Hire Survivors Hollywood and Hire Survivors Broadway; I Have The Right To; Lift Our Voices (LOV); MTMV Community Support Network; NOVA: National Organization for Victim Advocacy; the National Women’s Defense League (NWDL); the Sexual Violence Prevention Association (SVPA); and UltraViolet Education Fund.
The national day of action arrived at a time of urgent need. According to a national survey by Tulane University’s Newcomb Institute, roughly 1 in 4 U.S. adults (26%), or more than 68 million people, experienced sexual harassment or assault in the past year alone, and most survivors (87% of women and 89% of men) told no one about their experiences.
Lekowski and the organizers of the Survivors’ Solidarity March look forward to continuing to build this national movement, uniting survivors, advocates, and allies under one message: survivors deserve safety, support, to be believed and to be heard.
