by Nona Martin Stuck / photo by Maggie West

Barbara Anderson keeps bees. She has three hives and attended “bee school” in two states to learn the basics of being an apiarist, but most of what she knows about bee behavior she has learned firsthand. “Bees are all about protecting their community.  Everything they do is geared toward keeping the hive productive and safe,” she says.

Unfortunately, the same is not true with humans, something she observes every day in her role as executive director of Our VOICE, a seven-employee Asheville organization dedicated to serving victims of sexual violence in Buncombe County, providing support and counseling for some 900 people a year.

In the case of human sexual behavior, a serious threat comes from within the community itself. The number of rapes nationally is slightly down, but most rape counseling groups estimate that only 40 percent of all incidents are ever reported and that 90 percent of sexual assaults are perpetrated by someone the victim knows. Anderson says one of Our VOICE’s biggest hurdles is changing the perception of what constitutes rape. Many people believe there are two kinds: in stranger rape, the victim is overpowered by an unknown assailant; in acquaintance rape, the victim is forced into sexual activity by someone he or she knows. Stranger rape is generally seen as not being the victim’s fault, eliciting sympathy and support, while acquaintance rape is often perceived as having been allowed or even encouraged by the victim. True consent is at the heart of the issue, Anderson says. Until people understand that sexual activity is unacceptable without complete willingness on the part of both participants, the problem will continue.

Anderson grew up in Gary, Indiana, and lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota, until moving to Asheville in 2004. Stepping into the director’s position at Our VOICE that year made sense—she had degrees in elementary education, psychology and counseling, as well as a passion for helping people. She had led volunteer groups in several mental health areas, including crisis intervention.

In addition to her beekeeping, Anderson gardens and finds her time growing things to be restorative and restful. Now, though, what brings her the greatest gratification, she says, is helping to create a community free of sexual violators.


For more information visit ourvoicenc.org or call 828-252-0562.