Updated on: April 22, 2026 / 11:14 PM CDT/ CBS Chicago
An outspoken survivor of Jeffrey Epstein was the keynote speaker at Wednesday night's Luminary Awards.
Before the Awards, Jess Michaels spoke about the importance of early intervention for survivors of childhood sexual abuse and how she wants to arm everyone with a specific resource.
Michaels spent years as an advocate for sexual assault survivors, putting pressure on Congress and speaking out — loudly — on behalf of Jeffrey Epstein survivors, like herself.
"I think the beautiful thing is that people are listening because I'm an Epstein survivor," she said. "The sad thing is that their focus often goes to this really big, outrageous, salacious story that's over here, far away from their families, their communities, their own state."
Michael's said she met Jeffrey Epstein in 1991 at the age of 22. She was introduced to him, recruited through a friend, and raped the second time she met him. She spoke with CBS News Chicago inside the Chicago Children's Advocacy Center in the Illinois Medical District — a notable location for her.
"I had actually been assaulted and abused by my grandfather at five years old, ages four to six, actually, and I never got any help. Had I gotten resources like something like the Chicago Child Advocacy Center, I believe my outcome with someone like Epstein would have been very, very different, because I would have gone through a period of healing," she said.
The Chicago Children's Advocacy Center's Veronica Pierce is grateful for Michaels shedding light on the work they're doing — and the importance of early intervention for kids. She said the center serves roughly 2,200 children per year.
"I think that children are learning more about their bodies and what's healthy and what's safe and not safe," she said.
Michael's is taking her advocacy one step further by developing an app — "With You Too" — designed to help communities respond to sexual harm with care, rather than confusion. It will be the first-ever social safety app with a sexual assault first aid kit to add another layer of support for survivors.
"And start addressing this issue in a really tangible, local community way," Michaels said.
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