American actor and rapper, Common has taken to Twitter to explain why he opened up to the World on being molested as a child.
In his just-released memoir ‘Let Love Have the Last Word: A Memoir, the 47-year-old disclosed that he was molested by a family friend at the age of 9 and 10.
According to Common whose real name is Lonnie Corant Jaman Shuka Rashid Lynn, the memories began to surface when he was prepping for scenes in the 2018 dramatic film, The Tale.
“I caught my breath and just kept looping the memories over and over, like rewinding an old VHS tape…I said ‘Laura, I think I was abused.’”
Giving details about the molestation, the rapper said:
“At some point, I felt Brandon’s hand on me,” he writes. “I pushed him away. I don’t remember saying a whole lot besides ‘No, no, no.’”
But Common says his abuser would not stop:
“He kept saying ‘It’s okay, It’s okay,’ as he pulled down my shorts and molested me. After he stopped he kept asking me to perform it on him. I kept repeating ‘No’ and pushing him away.
“I felt a deep and sudden shame for what happened.”
Taking to Twitter to explain why he opened up, he wrote:
I talked about being molested because, as a Black man, many men have hidden that. Many people have hidden tat. And you carry that weight with you. But at some point, you’ve got to let it go.
I hope being open about my childhood trauma can give others the strength to do the same and help them on their healing journeys. We all have experienced pain and suffering. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.
