Skip to main content

Blocked for Telling the Truth: When Speaking Up Against Joel Runnels, PhD, Becomes Grounds for Erasure


 There is a disturbing pattern in global systems of power: women from the Global South who speak truth to power are silenced, dismissed, or erased. Especially when the truth involves men with Western credentials, impressive titles, and polished public images.

This is exactly what happened — again — when I was blocked for the second time by the Minnesota Council on Disability (MCD) after raising serious, personal, and repeated concerns about Joel Benjamin Runnels, PhD — a former U.S. diplomat, former USAID officer, and now their Legislative Affairs Director.

Let me be clear: this is not a smear campaign.
This is a lived reality.
This is a demand for transparency, accountability, and ethical consistency.

Who Is Joel Runnels?

To the public, Joel Runnels is a respected figure. A man with multiple degrees, language fluency, and international experience. Someone who worked in diplomatic posts across Ghana, Kenya, Jamaica, and Uzbekistan.

To institutions, he represents progress and professionalism.

But to several women — myself included — he represents a dangerous contradiction:
A man who preaches justice, yet practices emotional harm in private.
A man who advocates for vulnerable children abroad, but refuses to acknowledge or emotionally support his own.

He promised love, claimed single and never marry, built emotional intimacy — only to vanish, gaslight, and emotionally abandon the women who trusted him.
In Jamaica, he allegedly fathered twochilds and left the country with no responsibility.
In multiple countries, he repeated the same cycle: charm, intimacy, manipulation, disappearance.

This isn’t just infidelity.
This is patterned psychological abuse, protected by diplomatic immunity and institutional silence.

Why I Was Blocked

When I first raised my voice, I shared the truth — not with hostility, but with clarity.

I commented on public posts by MCD, calling attention to the disconnect between the role Joel holds and the harm he has caused. Instead of engaging in dialogue, they deleted my comments. I tried again. I was blocked.

This week, I tried once more. I posted again. I shared evidence, accountability, and context.

And I was blocked again.

Let’s ask:
What does it say about a public institution — one advocating for justice and equity — that they cannot tolerate survivors’ voices?
Why does protecting their staff matter more than investigating the harm their staff has caused?

If we were white women from Western countries, would our stories be taken more seriously?
Do we not matter because we are women from the so-called “developing world”?

The Bigger Problem

When institutions silence survivors, they’re not being neutral — they’re being complicit.

Blocking a woman who speaks up is not “managing discourse.” It’s protecting a predator.
Deleting uncomfortable truths is not “professionalism.” It’s gaslighting at scale.

The message being sent is clear:

“We’d rather protect a man with a PhD and a diplomatic past than acknowledge the women he harmed.”

And to that I say: No. Not anymore.

We Will Keep Speaking

To the Minnesota Council on Disability and every institution like it:
Silencing one voice won’t stop the truth.
Erasing one comment won’t erase a pattern.
Blocking one woman will not stop others from speaking.

Because I speak not only for myself — but for the dozens of women left confused, broken, and discarded by men who wear suits and speak of peace.

We are not disposable.
We are not emotional liabilities.
We are truth-tellers.

Closing Words

You blocked me because I made you uncomfortable.

Because I held a mirror to the hypocrisy your organization refuses to face.

Because a man with power harmed someone without it — and you chose to protect him instead of investigate him.

Just remember:
I will keep voicing this story. I will not stop.

Because justice doesn’t start with institutions. It starts with people brave enough to say:

“This happened to me. And it’s not okay.”

And no block button can undo that.

Labels:
Location: Minnesota, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Power Imbalance When a Diplomat Dates You

  I never imagined that I would find myself entangled in a relationship with a man who held the title of diplomat . There is something inherently powerful about that word — a sense of nobility, intelligence, and integrity. For someone like me, who has always prided herself on being independent, educated, and emotionally resilient, the connection initially felt affirming. I thought, perhaps, I had finally found someone who could walk beside me as an equal. But what I didn’t realize at the time was how easily a title can conceal deeper truths — emotional manipulation , power imbalances, and an unspoken hierarchy that slowly erodes one’s sense of reality. Our story began online, like many modern romances. Joel Runnels introduced himself as a diplomat stationed in Central Asia , working in human rights advocacy . From the beginning, our conversations were intense and intellectually stimulating. He spoke about his work with disabled communities, policy reform, and global diplomacy. The...
Post a Comment
Read more

When He’s a Different Person Behind Closed Doors

  You’ve probably never heard of Joel Runnels PhD — but in certain circles in Minnesota, he’s considered a quiet hero. A legislative affairs director who has dedicated decades of his professional life to disability rights and working for Minnesota Council on Disability , Joel is the kind of man who shows up at public hearings, writes compassionate policy briefs, and speaks with moral authority about equity, justice, and the need to protect society’s most vulnerable. He works closely with the Deaf community , disabled children, and families who rely on state policy to survive. But I knew another Joel. One who existed far away from the polished conference tables and media headlines. One whose mask would fall the moment the doors closed. And I’m finally ready to talk about him. This isn’t an exposé for the sake of revenge. This is my truth — and it’s also a mirror. Because too often, the people we are told to admire and trust the most are the very ones causing silent destruction behin...
Post a Comment
Read more

When the Mask Falls: What I Learned After Being Lied to, Cheated On, and Gaslighted by a Diplomat

There’s a unique kind of heartbreak that comes not just from personal betrayal, but from betrayal by someone the world sees as respectable — someone who commands admiration, speaks with poise, and lives behind the diplomatic veil of charm and composure. I never thought I would find myself entangled in the emotionally devastating web of deceit, manipulation, and betrayal — especially not with a man trained to handle international relations, negotiations, and cultural sensitivity. But behind the polished exterior, I discovered a pattern of behavior that had been repeated many times before. A man who had fathered five children with two different women, leaving behind broken trust, confusion, and emotional damage. This is not a story told out of bitterness. It is told out of truth, growth, and a deep desire to help others recognize warning signs — and to choose themselves, every single time. The Charisma Trap He was everything that looked good on paper: well-educated, articulate, intellige...
Post a Comment
Read more