So im very pleased to welcome brenda myerspowell myers powell has been advocating for victims of sex trafficking since 1997. She cofounder and executive director of the Dreamcatcher Foundation and she currently serves on the u. S. Advisory council on Human Trafficking. Brendas work with Dreamcatcher Dreamcatcher and victims was the focus of the Sundance Award Winning documentary dreamcatcher. Now leaving breezy street is the stunning account of brenda myers, powells brutal and beautiful. In prostitution. At the age of 15 with two baby daughter. She called herself breezy. She was tough. A survivor, every sense of the word and she begins her her authors note with respect. Thats how i lived my life. Im needing respect, demanding respect. And actually, thats how i got into a lot of trouble. I found myself. And she warns us that shes not trying to tell a story about her past. Using the careful words of right now, we need to know what she was hearing and what she was telling herself. Quote, because its the truth. Around. We need a little truth. So im so pleased to welcome ms. Brenda myers powell. Thank you, jane. Thank you so, everybody, thank you for being here that night. Its always an honor when anybody comes out of their own comfort zone to hear somebody elses story or hear somebody else, you know, talk that is amazing today. Doing, doing since we got so much going on on the television and internet that we could just stay at home, cant we . But we know the value of interaction with the human. But human beings, at least we do. Our kids dont. They dont have any concept of. But thank you for being here this evening. So lets get into the meat of things. What do you want know . And what do you want to ask me . Because when i. When i decided to write this book, it was because after we had did the documentary and people kept asking, we want to know more your story. And i would go around and speak and people would counsel the ask me what is your story . Brenda because i would tell little parts of my story to relate issues of human and Different Things that i was lobbying for or trying to get things passed for girls in Human Trafficking and i would tell stories to relate to the issue at hand, but people would want it to go deeper. They wanted to understand what was going on or what happened to you. Brenda to get you just how did you stop . How did you what happened when it did light . Come on for you or how did you start . What made you you know and i at that time in four year why people were acting mandy you know i didnt know i had no know and why were asking me that i was trying to find out myself i was trying find out who brenda jean was. You understand me . I had a great idea who breezy was because she was still in my. But had no add deal. Who . Brenda jean was because she had been inside of me down here long. In the protection of breezy. I had not allowed her to have would have a voice or say. It was just a protection. Breezy, protected. Brenda jean. Because brenda jean couldnt have dealt with what breezy could handle. You get me breezy was the best protector ever had in my life before. Breezy came along. There were others was liza. There was janey. There was other girls who protected jean. But brenda jean was that little girl who molested long time ago and found out that she couldnt take, that she couldnt handle that and needed to be protected because. She was everything to me. She was nice. She my sparkle, she my shining. She was my heartbeat. And i all my life to protect brenda, jean. And when i found that out, i found out what molestation does to a child, too, to a little girl to a little boy. It takes the sparkle it takes the shine. It takes all the life out of them in most of their life, they fight to keep it. Some of us lose in some of us, we. But is the fight. And thats the foundation. Of how my abuse in my seed was it to i want to be a prostitute. Any questions. And this and feel free to ask questions because. The reason that i. I delved into my inner self for this. I wanted to have something to tell a little girl, a young lady, so i could help her. Ill tell you about that in a minute. Okay. Yes. Do you remember where you were and how old you were if and when you made the con choice or had the conscious idea . I wanted to be a prostitute. And was there a woman who. Understood you at that time who was also a prostitute to. Okay. So where i was when i decided to be a prostitute. When you when you first ever thought. Yeah, that would be a solution. Yeah. Yes, i do. I was sitting in front of the window. Me and, my grandmother had moved in a neighborhood where prostitutes worked in front of a window. Oh. Where we and i used have to come home because i was like a keychain kid, you know what im saying . I always have since kindergarten. Didnt know we had no babysitter was we couldnt afford that. My grandmother was a she she was me. You know, she was a she worked out in the suburbs took her a couple of hours to get there and couple hours get back, took a long way to get to work and get home, did a deal for her to work almost so i was told to go to school with the key around my neck, come home, open the door, lock the door and sit in the house too. She get home . Okay. Im a little quiet, you know what i mean. I need to be outside playing or. Somebody need to be tending to me, but i have to sit up in the house without in and be and be told and trusted not to get into anything. Oh, my god. This stuff used to do in that house and get into and be afraid, get a beaten about it. It was unbelievable. But anyway, thats a whole nother story. But i used to sit in the rv board and id sit and watch these ladies and like i said, all my life i wanted be shining and sell. I remember when i wanted to be diana ross in all the supremes. I didnt care which one long as i could be one of the supremes. And i wanted be shiny. But these ladies that i saw in front of the window, they were shiny. They didnt look like the neighborhood women. They had the news on many. They had these called gogo boots. You know, they were shiny with the big wigs and everything on. And i used to watch them in front of the window. So i asked my grandmother, i said, what are those women doing . She said, you know, i told you not to take your panties off a little boy. She said, oh, boy, those women take their panties off in me and give them money. I said, really early, huh i probably do that when i get older. And she never said, brenda jane, do that. Be a doctor, be, be, be a nurse, be a teacher. She said, whatever you do, be the best. And at that time, i decided i was going to be the best prostitute could be because they had been taken from me in this. What they had been taken my panties off and they needed to pay me they needed do something for me. I needed to get something in return because i was hurt not in know what to do. I didnt know how to make my hurt stop. So now i figure did it if i made give me something, maybe i could get something that it is. Thats what i thought about. So just what i did and made him give money. The nasty little man, the nasty little mean because i was hurting. Its amazing how can hurt and you dont find a way out. And i didnt have a voice and im still working. You think i got a voice . You steal now what it needs to be. Because like i said. I wrote it so that another girl a little girl some it could say somebodies lips so they can understand had is the feels on the inside and broken. You are after this happens and people tell you just get over it is not something that you can just over it is years a years of trauma and you dont give it permission to come up because crisis does not make an appointment and you dont know when thats going to come up inside of you. You better have a set. You better have a tool belt on when it do because it will eat you up. Because im trying to live a normal life right now, a life terms in my trauma time gets in the way of me allowing people to love me, only me allow my husband to touch me or me allowing myself to feel valuable because of the life things that have happened to me and not all the time is just sometimes. But i have a tool belt. That i keep on me so that i can be healthy. I dont like the tool belt. What . The tool belt is necessary. I said, why me . Why me . But why not . But thats what i have for girls. I wish could have told him that you get better and you dont have to worry about it goes away. I cannot tell them that it never goes away. Its they took part of your soul. And they can never give it back. Too much much. The abuse is too much. And it needs to stop. This molestation. And abuse for young kids has to get out of our society. We to stand up for these our kids, wherever it happens. It takes a piece of their soul. So i went on to be the neighborhood hockey because i had no selfesteem. Come on, anybody. Did you guys, the book got any questions . Yeah, i read the book. Lets some questions. Anybody want to ask any questions . My grandmother about my life. How wonderful im doing now. Im thinking if a lot of people have not read your book, you need to give them an overview of your life and then have the the other question is, can you tell us more about dreamcatcher . Okay. All right okay so i thought that maybe something because usually when people come, they usually read book already. They asked me a lot of great questions, but im going to tell about the book because i can it happened me so i ran into the world, okay . So i went into my i became that girl in the neighborhood, in the community and youll see in the book that could that it was just loose because what i was looking for love in all the wrong places you understand . I wanted somebody love me and my behavior said that the little boys knew it too, you know, i was little. I was i was the girl, you know, all you had to do was tell me that i was pretty. And you love me because i needed to hear that i. Wasnt kidding, you know, is very is very, very important that you tell that, you know, youre you beautiful to me, honey. And i love you, you know, specially daddys especially daddys, you know, dont never be so tough that you cant tell your little girl that you love. And shes beautiful, you know youre her first love. And i and i never was told that. You know, im seeing i was told a lot of brutal things, you know my my grandmother was a combination of two people. She was the woman in the world when she was normal. She herself. And then when she drank, she was you know, it was like dr. Jekyll and mr. Hyde. So i lived with two people, you know, and i basically a knew when the other one was going to show up, when other we showed up, man, it, it, it could get rough in. My house get real rough, you know, and i never knew you know, sometimes the next day i might have a black eye or Something Like that, but it was the drinking because she was actually a beautiful woman. If we went for the drinking and im making excuses now, but it was the drinking and then it was her fear for a trying to make me tough before she left was her risk was her recipe right. Maybe nine. Did i get. Yes, i did. And then. I had these two kids, one african other, and and i had to go out and make the bacon. Thats what i was told. And i was living in a community where Domestic Violence and everything was normal. Me and my girlfriend used to sit on the fire escape in bed who was going to get beat up first . Women in our community. We used to bet on lives, you understand, because we were kids we didnt know what was going on, but we would. Thats what we did. It was normal lives in our community to see a woman get beat up. On a friday night. We would sit on the fire skating day and say, okay, i bet ice cream or pop that you know who long who wont get beat up first and we would laugh about it and the womans arm would be broken. I would be black or, you know blood would be present. And the police come and tell the man, take a walk, take woman to the hospital and she would come back home. And the next morning theyd both be standing outside laughing, hey, theres my man. I love him. Im cooking him breakfast. So what were we to think this was normal . Your man beat you up and then youll be happy . Thats what we saw. So why our interpretation of love was your man beat you up. My grandmother told me if i didnt cook in learn how to clean that my man was going to what me and i taught us is suppose i dont get a man. She said, well, you got to leave here. So her bringing up show she she handed that down to me see like it was okay for him to want me if i didnt clean in cook. Generational awful stuff. So was first time i got beat up it wasnt it wasnt no big thing it normal but a boyfriend. Anyway i, i it was my response ability to do something and it was like. I had been dating and, and and, and in, in, in messing with guys and asking them for money. But it was now time for me to really step up. So i went down, asked a person had to go down to where i knew this was a prostitute and i went down on the corner of of of clark and division and stood in front of the mark twain hotel, 1973, good friday. And started what i wish i never did. The first time i got into the car with the guy, i promise you, i thought, you know, i have read. Oh, hustler magazine x xavier hollander, happy hooker. I had read the book, i mean magazine. She said, everybody get 100. I thought all girls get 100. So xavier said it. So i went down there and got in a car and asked the guy for 100. He said, i dont want to buy you. I just want to read you. I thought what was wrong . I say, hey, wait a minute, give me a hundred. I may look for me. Its funny because i had i was a little girl there, didnt know what to do and i made it through, you know what i mean . But the thing about it was it was all terrible, you know, and this guy ended up give me a hundred, you know why . Because he found out how young i was. And that excited him to the point he said, im going to give you some extra money. And thats what happened to me all night. The guys were asking me and i was dumb enough to tell them and instead of them saying, get out of my car. Are you too young . Theyre excited theyre more. And they gave more money. So i made that money in no time and went home, gave it to my grandmother. And she never asked where it came from. So i went there for the next few weekend until i ran into the pimps who kidnaped me and took me to indiana and beat me and held me captive for six months in look me in a truck. Truck stops. When got another girl i was able to get away. A truck driver got me away. A very, very great man and i dont know where he was going, but he took me back to chicago when got back to chicago and i ran to my grandmothers house and i opened the door. The first thing she said, you left. You left me here and you left me here with these kids. She said, thats why i never look for you. And when she said that, my whole world dropped because the only way i fought to stay alive is because i knew. She was looking for me. I fought like a dog to stay alive because i knew somebody was looking for me. I knew somebody was looking for me. And then when she said that it hurt me so bad i couldnt. I couldnt. I couldnt sit in the house. I couldnt look at her. I couldnt i couldnt because i felt like nobody nobody looked for me. I wouldnt were looking for. And i remember i it was not even, you know, how you leave and you dont even know you leaving. I left the door and i didnt even realize i was leaving. It just ended up i was leaving. You know, and i looked up, it was like 2 00 in the morning. I wasnt even i just didnt care. I didnt go back. I didnt go back. And you know what happens to you, when you out at that kind of with it didnt take long for a another pimp to roll up on me because know us they know us they know us. And i want you to get to vote before the next 25 years i spent out there. The streets have been shot five times. Ive been stabbed over 13 times. Ive been through so much. I had a baby in california that i just reunited three years ago. My two daughters are amazing. Read the book and find out what theyre doing. I have two grandchildren who amazing what . 3 to 3 grandchildren . I have a boy grandparent too. I have a i. I did get married. Been married now 20 years. I have made all kinds of contribution back to society. I started Dreamcatcher Foundation. I started another organized session called protect black girls in chicago. I am a member of the us council for Human Trafficking. Washington, d. C. I have a documentary called the dreamcatcher. I am of course, the book. You know. When i the dream, when stephanie and i started the Dreamcatcher Foundation, i met Stephanie Daniels wilson in treatment and when i met her because at the end of my road, my last customer dragged me six blocks into all the skin of face in the side of my body. And i had no face and no i had no face. The book almost was called lady without a face because i lost my face when i first came around and they told me i would never i would be disfigured for the rest of my life. And i remember when i went to the recovery home for four, four, four for us as prostitutes, i them they said, what are you going to do, brenda . I said, can i go back to school . Because im a b ugly, im a. Shell be smart. Aint nobody go make a mega difference in that you know you cant be ugly and dumb. You know you got to get you got to show your man some kind of, you know, let me walk you with my intelligence, you know so i said lets go back to school. And she said yeah. So the doctors gave on me, you know what i mean . And i remember this lady, she said she a urbis. She said, i think i heal you. And i said, well, you know, at this point ill try anything and used to bring all these god awful smelling herbs and for me to drink and your oh my lord, it was terrible. But at that point i was willing to try, you know, it was anything. And yes, im telling you, it took about six or seven months. But before i knew it, my skin was like a baby. I was just like a baby, because what was it . Ripped all the flesh out of my face. And there was glass rocks. Ill say, dirt all embedded in my skin. And every time my skin would try to heal would develop another infection. And it just it was healing bad and leaving, you know just i was going to be very ugly with the scars, but the detox that she did with me and that i had to suffer through, i dont she just saved my face. And here i am today an actual lady with a face. So god has a been good to me in so many ways, you know, Human Trafficking is real. You know, i have been trafficking most of my life. Human trafficking is real on so many levels on a on on levels that you wouldnt believe. Human trafficking is real in from Human Trafficking to labor trafficking. There are so many different aspects of Human Trafficking. Just what you may see on the movies and i and thats another thing i get so tired of hollywood depicting what Human