| Sisters who escaped polygamist cult help other victims | |||
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Elaine Walker Anacortes American - Anacortes, Washington | |||
Rena and Kathleen Mackert of Anacortes grew up in a household with one father, four mothers and 31 children. Seventh-generation members of a polygamous family, they belonged to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Both escaped the cult, which, they said, relies on iron-fisted oppression and physical, mental and sexual abuse of women and children. "Our father was abusive on every level," Rena said. They want to establish a shelter in Anacortes for victims of polygamy and domestic violence, who face similar issues. However, polygamy refugees present unique challenges. "They have been isolated. The outside world is labeled as evil," Kathleen said. "It’s like being placed on an alien planet. They have no social skills." By providing jobs and a safe place to live, the sisters hope to help escapees adapt and thrive. The FLDS, a sect long-split from the Mormon Church, made news in 2008 when Texas Child Protective Services took more than 400 Yearning for Zion Ranch children into custody. Footage of wholesome-looking women in demure dresses and children being torn from a seemingly pious refuge made viewers uneasy, as church members invoked religious freedom. Rena and Kathleen said the FLDS has a history of such media manipulation: In 1953 their father Clyde Mackert and his wives were featured in Life magazine after an Arizona raid. "Our family was used as poster children for polygamy. He had three beautiful, educated wives and they were all age appropriate," Kathleen said. Quaint images of the big family working and singing hymns swayed public opinion — and ended prosecution. "It’s the same tactics they use today to justify it," Kathleen said. The serene-looking women shown on TV don’t recognize their subjugation as abuse. "It took us a long time to realize it ourselves," Rena said. Rena is 13th and Kathleen 19th of the 31 children in their family. Their mother Myra was Clyde’s third plural wife. Myra’s sister Donna was his second, so their children are first cousins and half-siblings. They said close marriages are not unusual. "We had a sister who was reassigned (to another husband) and one of her daughters married him too," Kathleen said. Rena and Kathleen married their stepbrothers, sons of Clyde’s fourth wife, making their children double cousins and further tangling the family tree. "It’s not a tree. It’s a forest," Kathleen said with a laugh. Advocates for victims of polygamy, the sisters have appeared on Fox, CNN and ABC news, and in documentaries "Inside Polygamy" and "Religion or Mind Control?" They established the nonprofit group Valerie Jeffs Mackert Gateway to Freedom in Anacortes, where Rena has lived with her husband since 2000. Kathleen moved here in November. Both use maiden names in print for safety. Since the A&E documentary came out, Rena has received six death threats. Kathleen stayed private until the recent raid compelled her to speak. "My sisters were getting death threats and my children needed me," she said. They named their nonprofit for Valerie Jeffs Mackert, a sister of Warren Jeffs, taught to submit to every abuse of the priesthood. Valerie escaped, but had a massive coronary at 40. "She tried to go back and couldn’t fit in there, and she couldn’t fit in in the world," Kathleen said. "We feel she died of a broken heart." The sisters want others like Valerie to find a safe haven and access to education, parenting skills and counseling. Regular shelters are not equipped to handle some of their special needs. "We have three sisters who (each) have 18 children," Kathleen said. The sisters advocate changes to the legal system. Enforcement is often hampered by officials who belong to the FLDS or look the other way. They have had victories: Utah raised the marriage age from 14 to 16 and made "spiritual marriages" illegal. They also lobby for sensible domestic violence laws. Rena knows a woman who paid her husband’s $2,000 domestic abuse fine when she went back to him. "What we’d like to see is they have to do a lot of community service," Rena said. They have received support from the Women’s United Nations Network, while doing what they can to support the group Stop Polygamy in Canada. After an initial snafu with a staffer, Kathleen contacted U.S. Sen. Harry Reid. He introduced the Victims of Polygamy Relief Act of 2008, which seeks $3 million to help victims get a new start. "Harry Reid has explained his need as an LDS member to be part of the solution," Kathleen said. "The FLDS are cloaking themselves in the robes of the Mormon religion." The sisters are working on getting 501(c)(3) status so they can get funds when the bill passes. A four-member management team works on media relations and grant writing. Their refugees will find jobs at the nonprofit subsidiary, Gateway Clean and Green. A residential and commercial cleaning business, it employs skills every FLDS woman has: cleaning, cooking and tending the elderly. They will develop connections by helping lonely seniors and special needs people. When Rena and her husband, who is from Snohomish, fled from the death threats, he let her select any place. She chose Anacortes. Kathleen said she loves Anacortes too. She said its small size and friendly atmosphere will ease polygamy refugees’ transition to the real world. "It just feels like it’s nurturing my soul. We decided to locate the nonprofit here. It’s like mother nature is just embracing you. The people here are so welcoming," she said. | |||
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goskagit.com Originally published January 26, 2010 | |||
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