THE THOMAS P. DOYLE WHISTLEBLOWER AWARD Hannah-Kate
The Thomas P. Doyle Award is named after the pioneering priest who alerted the Roman Catholic Church, and then the world, about clergy sex abuse. Professor Leslie Griffin had the idea for this Award, reached out to CHILD USA, and has donated a fund to provide the winners of this award with a stipend. We are grateful for all that Tom has done during his historic career, and to Prof. Griffin for this and her many contributions to CHILD USA through her expertise and big heart. Imagine, if you can, enduring years of abuse from early childhood to young adulthood at the hands of loved ones. Imagine finally speaking out and finding you are not believed. In fact, you are maligned and subjected to threats and intimidation from the people and powerful organizations that should protect and love you. Sadly, this is a story that repeats all too often throughout our country and world. The most vulnerable, children, are left to fend for themselves in a toxic miasma of denial and coverup that protects corporate entities over victims. Thanks to
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CHILD USA’s tireless mission to eliminate statues of limitation, they are empowered to battle their tormentors in court. This year’s recipient of the Thomas P. Doyle Whistleblower Award is Hannah-Kate, a remarkable young woman whose courageous quest for truth, accountability, and justice has led to a life of activism, helping others to escape their circumstances and report abuse. Since leaving her abusive situation in 2019, Hannah Kate has taken on the Southern Baptist Convention and several of its affiliates. She is suing for their coverup of widespread sexual abuse, collective negligence in failing to protect her and others, and engaging in an active campaign to malign and discredit her, among other claims. A previous attorney urged her not to file a lawsuit because she needed more evidence. She filed anyway. Kentucky formerly gave victims five years from their 18th birthday to come forward, but she was already 24 when she escaped the abuse for good. Like so many survivors, she was blocked from justice. However, due to a change in Kentucky’s law that opened a short statute of limitations window, Hannah-Kate withdrew the original suit. She was able to file the current, more comprehensive complaint with the help of her new team of attorneys, including CHILD USA Board Member, Brian Kent. Hannah-Kate did not simply file her suit and sit back to await results. She also speaks about her abuse and participates in protests. “The protests really aren’t for me, they are so that the vulnerable within organizations see someone is willing to fight for them,” she says. “I believe that when evil is not challenged, it becomes normalized. But if you point it our and have a reaction of anger and disgust, people have a chance to pause and realize something is wrong and must be changed.” Her primary work, however, is literally to walk with many survivors as they come forward and enter the legal system. Hannah-Kate has stood with over 300 victims, driving them to police stations to report the abuse, helping them to find trauma-informed police officers, matching them with attorneys experienced in abuse cases, and building a new community of others to stand with them. Over a period of about two and a half years, Hannah Kate estimates she has flown about 3,000 miles per week to be with survivors and walk them through the process. Nearly all have found her through her Twitter account, the only social media account she uses. She keeps her DMs open, and responds as much and as quickly as possible, sometimes getting on a plane within hours of a contact. In fact, it was through Twitter, while
