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Meet Shavontana “Starr” Davis of The Starr Institute in Gwinnett County

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Shavontana “Starr” Davis.

Starr, let’s start with your story.  We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
When I was 7 years old, my life changed. My mom became addicted to drugs, an older male family member began molesting me and sometime after, a second older male family member began molesting me too. This went on for several years. Between my mom being on drugs, seeing her physically assaulted in my presence and finding out at 11 years old that my dad wasn’t my biological father, I had way too much going on.

The summer before the 6th grade, I started living with my grandparents; before then, I bounced around from house to house with different family members. I continued living with my grandparents until I graduated from high school. While living with my grandparents, I made a commitment to myself that I was getting out of Louisville, Kentucky, where I was born and raised, and that I was never coming back. I focused on church and school. I made sure I got the best grades, was involved in extracurricular activities, and I tried not to cause my grandparents any stress. I had a plan!

My plan was to attend Florida State University (FSU), major in mass communications and move to Atlanta to become a broadcast journalist. While I did attend FSU, graduate with a degree in mass communications and move to Atlanta, I never saw the inside of a news station! Which brings me to an important lesson I learned early on – the ability to pivot! I moved to Atlanta right out of college with no job, and I needed one fast. So, I began working at a family law firm as an administrative assistant. I hated every second of the practice area (but not the attorney who I affectionately refer to as my big sister and mentor) and swore I would never practice law. Fast forward six months later, I found myself working at a criminal defense law firm. And what was meant to be a two-week assignment turned into two years. It was there that I sat in on rape/child molestation, double homicide and murder trials which resulted in me attending North Carolina Central University School of Law intent on becoming a public defender. I became a public defender with the Office of the Public Defender, Atlanta Judicial Circuit where I served as a staff attorney in the Superior and Juvenile Court a little over five years. In 2017, I left the office to pursue my God-given purpose: founding and running The Starr Institute, Inc. (TSI). TSI exists to prevent the sexual abuse and exploitation of minor girls and to ensure all girls receive the care, support, and skills they need to thrive.

While I did not tell my family about my childhood sexual abuse until I was well into adulthood, I told my best friend the summer before the 7th grade and made her promise to keep my secret. I can still picture the night I told her. We were lying in her white bunk beds, the kind with the twin bed up top and full bed beneath. We were both lying on our backs staring into darkness and that’s probably the only reason I told her. She couldn’t see me and the pain and shame I felt. At that moment, I told her that I was going to help girls. So, when I left the Office of the Public Defender to begin living my purpose with TSI, she reminded me that it was about time that I finally made good on my word!

I’ve learned that when times are hard, we may find ourselves asking, “why me?” But the better question is, “why not you?” We all have special gifts and talents that we have been blessed with, and sometimes it takes hard times to bring them out of us. I won’t tell you the road to healing was an easy one because it was not. I had to forgive myself, my mom, my abusers. I had to participate in counseling. I had to take a deep look inside myself and learn to love and respect myself and accept that it wasn’t my fault, that I didn’t do anything to deserve what they had done to me. And believe it or not, talking about it is therapy too. It allows me to reflect on one of the darkest points in my life and know that I made it which tells me I’m strong. And sometimes when we share our stories, we help others along the way motivating and encouraging them to find their inner strength. I’m reminded of Michelle Obama’s statement, “every scar that you have is a reminder not just that you got hurt, but that you survived.” And indeed, I did survive, and TSI is a direct result of my journey.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Moving into the anti-human trafficking space was a leap of faith, but my skill set as an attorney—particularly my ability to develop a rapport with collogues and clients and my unwavering integrity—helped tremendously with the transition. As a public defender, I represented adult and minor survivors of sex trafficking. Many times, victims are arrested for drug and theft offenses which are a direct result of being trafficked. Because of my life experiences, I extend grace and empathy to everyone I encounter. Still, I had to earn the trust of my colleagues and survivors in this space.

This entire process has been one big learning curve. The first thing I did when I left the office back in 2017 was to enroll in The Institute with a reputable organization in the anti-human trafficking space that’s served here in Atlanta for several years. I’ve been a sponge—trying to learn as much as I can about this space as well as how to operate a non-profit organization. In the process, I’ve made significant community ties and developed meaningful relationships through my membership with the Georgia Statewide Human Trafficking Taskforce, the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services’ Child Sexual Assault Prevention Committee, the Center for Civic Innovation and the United Way VIP Program. It’s important for me to be competent in an area, especially where people’s lives are concerned.

However, the most important transition has been within my family. TSI comes second only to my role as a wife and mother. Being an entrepreneur not only affects the visionary’s life, but everyone immediately connected to them. My husband, son (5 years old) and daughter (3 years old) share in my struggles, disappointments and triumphs. They sacrifice just as much as I do. The toll of sleepless nights, time away from home and missed moments are overwhelming at times. But they love and support me and want my vision to manifest as much as I do. My husband, Devin, has been nothing short of amazing in completely supporting my decision and picking up the slack when we became a one-income household. Our children, David and Parker, have been so encouraging. David sends me texts every time I have a speaking engagement or event telling me how proud they are of me. And Parker gives me great content just being her loving, confident self.

Has the road been smooth, ummm, not exactly but it’s all part of the process. It took me a while to learn my abuse was something that happened to me but does not define me. I realize now that every experience was necessary for me to become who I am today. At TSI we say “shine where you are” because each of us has a light inside of us. We have to learn to shine in the good times and the bad times. Bishop Sheard says, “turbulence is the price you pay for flying high.” Well, it doesn’t get much higher than the stars!

The Starr Institute – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) is defined as a sexual activity involving the exploitation of a child under the age of 18 with an adult or older individual. The sexual activity may be in exchange of or a promise of something of value such as food, shelter, clothing, money, etc. The average age of entry into the life of DMST is 12-14. People generally, especially youth, are uninformed about DMST and therefore are ill-equipped to safeguard themselves and their peers from becoming victims. Consequently, educating our youth about DMST and how to identify potential traffickers is necessary for their well-being.

The Starr Institute (TSI) exists to prevent the sexual abuse and exploitation of minor girls and to ensure all girls receive the care, support and skills they need to thrive. We do this by providing preventative programming to youth and by connecting survivors of sexual abuse and exploitation with support services. We serve girls ages 12-17 who reside in Metro Atlanta, with a focus in Gwinnett, DeKalb and Fulton Counties but sadly, victims are identified statewide and sometimes are relocated here from other states.

Since our incorporation in 2017, I have served as a speaker at several events sharing my story of triumph over childhood sexual abuse and educate the community on DMST. In this digital age, we have launched a robust awareness and prevention campaign using social media platforms to distribute daily posts about DMST and empowerment.

Through my speaking engagements and social media campaigns, I have routinely been approached by parents and concerned adults about obtaining more information and ways they can help. Often times, they are ignorant to the seriousness and prevalence of DMST in Georgia and specifically the Atlanta Metro area. Women and youth have also approached me often and disclosed their own sexual abuse. This interaction has provided me with the opportunity to inform and educate while connecting parents, adults, youth and survivors with professionals trained to provide the appropriate care.

I am most proud of leaving my office to walk in my purpose and that two and a half years later, I’m still here. I haven’t given up and I won’t, not on myself and not on our girls.

What sets us apart from others is my lived experience as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. My lens at approaching this issue and operating our organization stems from what I needed as a child and did not receive. We are also a family at TSI. I know all too well that family doesn’t require a blood connection. We aren’t just a place to receive services to push girls along through the system. We are establishing lifelong bonds of love and support.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success means keep moving, keep trying, and keep hoping to get to the next level even when you don’t have the answers or the ability to comprehend your current circumstances. First thing I learned early on, keep moving! Life is hard, things happen beyond our control, but how you react, how you overcome the obstacles, and how you thrive in spite of is key.

By the grace of god my mom has been clean for 13 years, I have a loving husband of 10 years and two beautiful children. I’m building TSI to help so many girls who have experienced unimaginable pain and need a family too. I can truly say, I’m living my purpose on purpose. To me, there’s no greater success!

Pricing:

  • The Starr Institute, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All contributions are tax-deductible.
  • Your financial support helps us continue our mission and to assist those in our community. The generous support of individuals makes it possible for our organization to exist and to make the community a nurturing and safe place for our girls to live.
  • Our 2nd Annual ReDiscover HER Light 5K Run+Walk is Saturday, November 9, 2019. You can make a donation, register for our 5K and learn other ways to support us at www.thestarrinstitute.org.

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Image Credit:
Cam Mitchell

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