Truth Magazine Issue 4 2019

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Career BEATING THE ODDS The Cyntoia Brown Story 18 “Y es. [I cut my hair because] I don’t wanna be pretty anymore. Beauty attracts trouble and it’s just not worth it.” This is the voice of a woman resigned to her fate; the hand that life dealt her through a flawed justice system. At age sixteen, Cyntoia Brown was sentenced to life in prison for killing Johnny Allen, a 43-year-old man who solicited and hired her for sex. Brown was tried as an adult and given a harsh sentence that would have her serve 51 years before being eligible for parole. What led Cyntoia Brown to this place at such a young age? Cyntoia’s life was fraught with trouble even while she was in the womb. Her mother would consume dangerous amounts of liquor every day, which experts testified had an effect on Cyntoia’s cognitive abilities. She was given up for adoption at six months and experienced abuse from her adopted father. As a result, she ran away and ended up on the streets where she met Cut Throat, a 23-year-old man with whom she started a sexual relationship and who subsequently forced her into prostitution.
Career “He would explain to me that some people were born whores and that I was one, and I was a slut, and nobody’d want me but him, and the best thing I could do was just learn to be a good whore,” Brown explained. When we read stories like these, it may affect us emotionally for a moment but, unless or until we’ve had similar experiences we’ll never truly understand the depth of the emotions of the victims. Cyntoia Brown found herself in a place of hopelessness and despair. The systems that had been setup to protect her victimized her instead and left her with nowhere to turn and with limited options. She lost her identity, self-worth, value, and significance and preferred to become invisible. She didn’t want to be noticed and resorted to hiding in plain sight. Not everyone will understand. Not everyone can relate. I can. identity. I never really had one before so I thought now would be a good time to get one.” Her situation seemed very cut and dried but often times God is hidden in the details. The true essence of resilience is finding an opportunity in the direst of circumstances and using it to rise above the situation. Not only did Cyntoia embark on discovering and defining herself, but she also completed her high school education and successfully pursued an associate’s and a bachelor’s degree while in prison. God’s plans for our lives are much different than man’s. He chooses things that seem powerless to shame those who are powerful. (1 Corinthians 1:27b). God always has someone positioned as our destiny connector who shows up when all hope seems lost. Just ask Joseph. After being abused and sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, When victims of abuse are further victimized by those who should be protecting them it causes devastating consequences in their lives. My own struggles with the after effects of sexual molestation and emotional abuse once led me to a similar place. It was a dark period in my life which was reflected in the color and style of clothes that I chose to wear back then. Like Cyntoia, I felt that my beauty was a curse and resorted to covering myself in extremely baggy, black clothes. Every day. When I got the courage to tell my mother about the molestation she called me a liar and vowed never to speak to me again. To her credit, she apologized and asked for my forgiveness a few months before she died in 2011. When victims of abuse are further victimized by those who should be protecting them it causes devastating consequences in their lives. They lose their sense of identity, are often haunted by the guilt and shame of being manipulated and controlled, and some may even struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In her own words, Brown confessed that she had no sense of identity. She said, “I decided that while I’m in here I’d find an Joseph later found himself incarcerated because of a vicious lie from a conniving woman. While imprisoned, he met two men, one of whom promised to entreat Pharaoh on his behalf. When it seemed like he’d been forgotten, the moment that suddenly altered his destiny forever, arrived. The doors opened and he was brought to Pharaoh who promoted him to his place of power, purpose and prominence. Dan Birman, a professor from the University of South Carolina, is one of Cyntoia’s true advocates and a destiny connector of sorts. His documentary, Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story, was pivotal in shedding light on her case. The documentary, compounded with the attention of several A-list celebrities, put pressure on Tennessee’s governor, Bill Haslam to overturn the verdict against Cyntoia. It worked. After careful deliberation, Tennessee changed its law to forbid harsh sentences for victims of the sex trade. In addition, the 19
Page 1 and 2: T TRUTH MAGAZINE Live! ESSENTIAL OI
Page 3 and 4: OUR CONTRIBUTORS Welcome EDITOR-AT-
Page 5 and 6: Mindfulness When you scroll through
Page 7 and 8: Mindfulness 2. STIMULATE YOUR BRAIN
Page 9 and 10: Asuccessful life is about resilienc
Page 11 and 12: Mindfulness Celebrate Recovery Test
Page 13 and 14: Mindfulness At 6 years old, I dream
Page 15: Her hands and mouth wiped clean of
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Page 22 and 23: Joie de Vivre Nadine Miller and Che
Page 24 and 25: Career Continued from page 19 Law S
Page 26: Career Then one day, he broke his p
Page 29: Culture to the core; it galvanized
Page 32 and 33: BMO Nesbitt Burns - Five Tax Ideas
Page 34 and 35: Wellbeing How did you decide what y
Page 36 and 37: CINNAMON CLARY SAGE WILD ORANGE LAV
Page 38 and 39: WELLBEING BENEFITS OF ALKALINE WATE
Page 40 and 41: wellbeing Life Lessons What I want
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Truth Magazine Issue 4 2019

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