In the past, Tyler Perry has spoken about the fact that he was abused as a child, but never in detail. However, today he took part in something so therapeutic for those of us who have been abused - he spoke out about it.
He posted quite a bit about his abuse stories on the
message section of his website. They aren't for the faint of heart, especially if you have experienced similar events in your life. CNN gives a
less detailed summary of the different issues a young Tyler Perry faced, which may be a little easier to read for some.
I find a lot of what Tyler Perry has done with films and other media to be slightly annoying. However, reading about his past has made me respect him as a person and understand better some of the reasonings behind his actions. Anyone who has survived such hard things in their lives deserve a lot more respect than they ever really get, especially those who have been able to talk about their abuse.
Tyler Perry didn't just wake up today thinking about telling his story to the world. It generally does not - cannot - happen like that. Oprah and Perry have backed a new film -
Precious - which will be in theaters. The film is about a teenage girl from Harlem who lives in a very abusive situation. Her father has gotten her pregnant for the second time and she has to deal with an abusive and ignorant mother. On top of all this, she is a freshman in high school at sixteen who has no clue how to read or write. She faces being kicked out of school and instead opts for alternative schooling, which helps to get Precious out of her home situation.
I'd like to share with you a quote from Perry's message earlier today:
If you're having a hard time getting over something in your life, maybe you can try forgiveness too. It's not easy, but it does bring forth healing. I know that there are a lot of people out there with stories far worse than mine but you, too, can make it. To those of you who have, welcome to life. I celebrate you.
He's right. It was one of the most frightening moments when I realized that the little girl who abused me must have been abused herself and was probably acting out based upon the same sorts of things I was feeling. It was so freeing to begin forgiving her for what I went through. That isn't to say that I'm not still mad at her. Forgiveness is something you have to do slowly and work really hard at. In the end though, I think - I hope - it'll be worth it.
