Halle Berry Shares Powerful Message For Domestic Violence Survivors

Halle Berry borrowed the powerful words of a poet to show her support for the survivors of domestic violence and abuse on social media on Wednesday.

Alongside an image of herself wearing an intricate crown, Berry wrote, “My #WCW goes to all my QUEENS who have suffered any form of domestic violence. I think this quote captures it perfectly.”

The short poem, penned by Michael E. Reid, read, “Dear women, Sometimes you’ll just be too much woman. Too smart, too beautiful, too strong. Too much of something. That makes a man feel like less of a man, which will start making you feel like you have to be less of a woman.”

“The biggest mistake you can make is removing jewels from your crown to make it easier for a man to carry. When this happens, I need you to understand, you do not need a smaller crown…” the poem continued. “You need a man with bigger hands.”

Berry tagged the Jenesse Center in the post, which is a domestic violence program in Los Angeles.

The actress is helping raise awareness for the Jenesse Center’s Purple Purse Challenge, a fundraising competition involving domestic violence benefit charities. Involved organizations compete to raise the most money, which goes toward providing resources that help survivors escape dangerous situations, according to the program’s website.

Participating groups include Hope’s Door,Center for Women and Families Inc., and Wings Program.

Berry has been outspoken about her experience with domestic violence, telling PEOPLE in 1996 that a former boyfriend once hit her so hard that her eardrum was punctured.

She further revealed last year during a speech at the Jenesee Center, “I saw my mother battered and beaten many years of my life and I felt helpless.”

“And that’s what connects me to this organization,” she continued. “I have an understanding, a knowing. I feel like I have something that I can impart to these women. It seems like I’ve overcome it, but I really haven’t. In the quiet of my mind, I still struggle. So while I’m helping these women, I’m helping myself through it, too. And that’s largely why I’m here.”

This article originally appeared on People.com