My #METOO Story - Chicago Street Journal for Wednesday, November 1,

February Chicago Street Journal November 2017 1 November 1, 2017 Volume 23, No. 5 Long before the #MeToo hashtag or references to “pussy grabbing” there were screams and tears from women across all civilizations, that went unanswered. And, let’s not forget the slave woman, mother and child, Maya Angelou or The Color Purple. But, unlike ever before and thank goodness in our time, Alyssa Milano shared her experiences and now the world responds -- FINALLY! The #MeToo hashtag has lent a voice and opened the doors for the victims of sexual harassment and abuse to tell their stories and release the pain and secrets of a lifetime. May this door never close and enable all who wish to do so, to walk through with a new meaning and understanding of what is actually taking place around the world in this sick cycle of the abuse of boys and girls and women and men. In France, Twitter users are using #balancetonporc or "expose the pig" to encourage women to name and shame their attackers, while #WomenWhoRoar is also being used to encourage victims of sexual #MeToo abuse to speak up. Let’s wave our own flags and shout out #MeToo from sea-to-shining-sea. My #MeToo Story. Excerpt from “Black America – Asking Ourselves The Tough Questions” by Sonja Cassandra Perdue. I was very young. 12 years old. Kenneth Johnson was younger. He was 5 years old. We lived on the first floor of a small two-flat and Kenneth and his family lived upstairs. The Johnsons were in their late 20s and had four children; whenever the young couple wanted to go out, I was the children’s playmate/ babysitter. It would be a grand time — every time. We’d play games, play school, but most importantly there was no screaming, no beatings, or arguing. Although I was young, they knew that they were safe with me because I loved being in charge and I just loved small children. The elderly couple who had previously lived in that apartment had been the owners of the building. They had four foster children and Kenneth’s mother was their granddaughter. When the mother died, all of the children, except Robert, were returned to their parents or to the state. Maybe there was no place for him to go. He moved in with the elderly gentleman and his new wife in their home, two doors down. Robert and I had been at war since I was small enough to crawl under a bed. That’s my earliest memory of him chasing me and grabbing me in a sexual manner. I would come to play with the other kids and he’d begin grabbing me and touching me and I would run and slide under his mother’s bed. He was trying to get me from under there, but he was too big to crawl under there and reach me. I knew even then that he was afraid of getting caught, so he coached me out with smoothing words that he was not going to bother me. Continued on Page 4 Call 773-998-1925 to be in the NEXT issue. Get a FREE ad in the Classified Section of CSJ. (First time advertisers only.) Send your ad by the 25th of the month and we’ll publish it in the next issue of Chicago Street Journal. 200 characters maximum. Send your ad to ChicagoStJournal@gmail.com ——————————————————————— Cut the Cable! CALL DIRECTV. Bundle & Save! Over 145 Channels PLUS Genie HD-DVR. $50/month for 2 Years (with AT&T Wireless.) Call for Other Great Offers! 1- 855-407-7111 NEW AT&T INTERNET OFFER. $20 and $30/mo plans available when you bundle. Offer ends soon. HURRY CALL NOW 1-844-290-5675 Meet singles right now! No paid operators, just real people like you. Browse greetings, exchange messages and connect live. Try it free. Call now: 855-823-4108