The History of Shaquera’s Story DVCC
In 2017, Shaquera Robinson made the life-changing decision to walk away from a long-term abusive relationship with her former partner, the father of her youngest child. What she thought would be the end of her suffering was only the beginning of another battle—navigating a criminal legal system that often retraumatizes survivors instead of protecting them.
After filing for a 209A restraining order, Shaquera and her children continued to be stalked, harassed, and intimidated as her abuser manipulated the court system against her. She was even served a retaliatory restraining order and faced falsified police reports and abuse allegations. These tactics not only heightened her trauma but also placed her in a legal database, forcing her to fight for representation in a system stacked against survivors.
It was during this time that Shaquera connected with the Domestic Violence Institute Clinic at Northeastern University, under the leadership of Attorney Margo Lindauer and student attorney Daniel Bateson. With their support—and alongside other student attorneys, Jennie and Nury—Shaquera began to find her voice. Sitting through countless hearings in district and municipal courts across Boston and Quincy, she realized she wasn’t just fighting for herself. She was standing in for the many women who looked like her, who were silenced, and who struggled to navigate a confusing and hostile courtroom system.
Her breakthrough as a public speaker and facilitator of the issue came when a friend and colleague, City Councilor At-Large Julia Mejia, recommended her when Adriana Raines requested a speaker for an Impact of Domestic Violence on Children Training for Boston CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) in 2019. That pivotal moment opened the door for Shaquera to step into her calling as a keynote speaker, trainer, and advocate.
From there, Shaquera began facilitating trainings on the impact of domestic violence on children for court-appointed special advocates, while also conducting workshops, gathering data, and creating safe spaces across Boston for survivors and allies. Her ability to blend lived experience with research and advocacy quickly gained recognition.
Today, Shaquera serves as an active member of the Massachusetts Protected at Work Coalition (advocating for employment protections for survivors), the Child Support Choice Coalition (pushing for family-centered child support policies), and the TRACMassachusetts Statewide Domestic Violence Coalition, where she supports critical legislation, including the Abusive Litigation and Coercive Language bills.
She also sits on the Steering Committee of the Lower Roxbury Coalition Wellness Initiative, working with community partners to provide wraparound services for children and families.
What began as one survivor’s fight for justice has grown into a mission-driven movement. Shaquera’s Story DVCC exists to disrupt cycles of abuse, create safe spaces, and equip survivors, communities, and systems to end intimate partner violence for good.
