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 Trafficking looks like they never get it right. You know, its a seedy, nasty business is in. Nobody should have the right to to sell a human another human being. I mean, i thought we got i thought we got that nobody you know, to purchase or sell a human being, you know thats slavery. Dont we get that . Dont we understand that . So any time you think that, you know, weve got to change our mindsets on how, we look at each other as people first, you know, do i feel like i have the right to offer you money for your body . Do i have the right to do that . And do and people say things like, well, well, lets try to legalize. So, you know, we can get a whole a grip on a grip on what exploiting and and in in and, you know, terror. I mean i mean, imagine yourself standing at starbucks and a guy can walk up to you, hey, when you get to a dead latte, i got 50 for a in the green parking lot. You know, do we want a society like that . Do we want a society that we destroy, respect and dont honor each other any more like that, you know, and we if you were to ask me years ago about myself and being a prostitute, told, oh, yeah, its the best thing in the world, i wouldnt do nothing else because was i had no selfesteem i had nothing inside of me. There was empty hole and someone had told me thats who i was. I never someone told me thats all i was good for. You understand . Someone put a label on me. I didnt deserve. But i know im great now. I know im wonderful now. And thats not who i want to be. And i dont want to be labeled as that or ever, ever approached like that. And nobody does. I mean, our boys and girls deserve better. Our deserve to be raised as gentlemen to respect everyone in our girls deserve to be respected. The Dreamcatcher Foundation believes that wholly. And we work with young girls. We try to initiate that that that be them. When we work with our women. We try to give back that respect, that they have lost into to regain it back any way we can. Because isnt that what dreamcatcher said about . Chasing a away in nightmares, giving them back the dream . Thats what we try to do. So we have do we have time for questions. So often in Mental Health communities, they talk eod, but a lot times there there isnt a specific understanding of the role of crack specifically as opposed to heroin or other drugs, women, prostitutes are often drugged by or choose to use themselves. How how do you think the Mental Health community has best helped you and what were the things that never want to hear again from a Mental Health professional. Whoa, thats pretty good. Oh, thats pretty good. So so who are you in . Okay, first of all. The Mental Health community is still helping me. Like i told you, i have a tubal, and part of that tool belt is my ill know. I keep her in my to bill shes own shes a fast ill because i told you i have trauma that doesnt crisis doesnt make an appointment it come up when it come and it could be a song a smile a moment and for some reason it come out of and id be like oh, wait a minute, you know . And ill and thats just how it goes but i know what to do, you know, i wont stay in that room, you know, in an even if i have to call her to come out that room, i say, im in a room i need to come out of a oh come now help me and she will. So Mental Health community is has helped me a lot now Mental Health community so important in our society right now because we are living in a stressful a Damaging Society where were being fed false information and rhetoric over the internet and, you know all all day long. And we like the internet, you know what i mean . We like to entertain, but were being fed garbage. Were being fed dangerous. And stuff in and you know, the mind, they say a man is a terrible thing. Waste why we waste in our minds. Are we with the other peoples other peoples garbage in mental and Mental Health people are spewed ing dangerous stuff are all all around and we absorb it. Now you look around and you you like this, you know, or either stress from all the stuff you hear, you know, if you hear, if you to it. So we got stuff that going on weve got stressors that were not handling correctly. So the Mental Health is really important what do i the the worst the worst thing that people in Mental Health have i mean you know the most uncomfortable things that people ask me is when they okay first of all i kind of think they ask. You have to get over it. You know, you have to get over it. Dont tell me to breathe when some someone some stuff happened, you know, im saying im ready to fight. And you talking, breathe an impasse. Breathe in at point culture really i think Mental Health professionals need to get to know cultures before they start giving out information about the person that theyre dealing with the the, the, the, the they need to deal with cultures also, you can tell people something sometimes doesnt agree with their culture. You understand you have to culturally can understand people you deal with to give Mental Health information. You just cant come and tell me the same thing that you tell somebody from Indian Culture or hispanic culture or even a caucasian culture because it aint our lives are not like you know, we go to different communities and deal with different stressors understand me. So i need different tools then you need you got to tell me Something Else how to deal with the tools in my community. I come from a community where, okay, you got to tell me how not. Okay. Need to give from here to here. Without that, im trying to give you a good example example. Okay . Im trying to get from here to here without being affected by a gunshot. Okay. Because i didnt know, you know, my issue, a hoodie in my community damage and i trying to get from here to here without the gunshots. Okay. I need some solutions. Did they get here without gunshots . All right. Youre going to tell me. All right. I just want you to breathe and just dont, maam, im your partner. Teach you how to heal. Do that. Realize that may. Okay. Or your issue is, you know. I dont want to be this doing a good job of collateral coming down street because blow i mean reminds me of where my clothes getting back to you know real simple stuff but thats not most of the gunshot i can breathe through that scene culturally whats going bald with me thats not going on with you if. You want to deal with me . Human trafficking. You cant tell me just the though dont my situation just to lay my situation down my trauma about my trauma with my problem is is is is been running my life all my life. And you didnt ask me, so why didnt you just leave. Why dont you just leave . Okay, ask. They asked us, why dont we just leave . Well, why dont you just leave your 600,000 house in your mercedes and your husband beat you up every you come home from a business trip and you put makeup and you dont want credit cards canceled. Why dont you leave . Why dont you leave that six figure job you get and they wont let you make balls because you will woman in and you get and sexually harassed all the time while julie you get me we all get things that we have that we do for survival and we get things we we take we we you know im saying in to we get to the point that we can stand for ourselves and say enough, enough in with that we need support and we need somebody to hold our hands and say, i get you on this. You know what im saying . And i got you. Ill hold your hand to you. You know, you you can. So dont act like its just that easy to step back when you are in need it in these bad relationships, in these bad situations. Its not anybody else have a question. Okay. Well, in my book i talk my family, i talk about my daughters and i talk about my life. I talk how it felt when i was out there because i want people not to know, you know, they they they make a lot of stuff about Human Trafficking and prostitution. I wanted you to feel what i was feeling when i was out there in a police were arresting me when i got abducted by a serial killer. The grim reaper in california. How it felt to me when i was mixed up in call myself in love with guys who didnt love me and how much pain i was in. Because i didnt know how to love my children because i was only a child myself and how scary it was for me. Not to kill myself because i didnt have the courage to. You know what i mean . But i tried to one day at a time any kind of way a kid could in the streets, but i didnt had courage to just blow my head off or take pills. But at the end of the day, it god who said, i dont want you to do none of that, because i guess for you to do and hes had me busy ever since, you know, its a great book because its about life. About my life in how i regain my life. And i know, i look great. But im 65 years old and i think it all the time, you know, they call me to harry of trafficking. I dont know, because im older, because, you know, im pretty feisty. But im all right with that because i can i will continue to be the Harriet Tubman or the mama of Human Trafficking as long as they allow me to. Because as long as theres a girl out there hurting, you know, i think as long as god give me a breath, ill be a woman who will be there to answer the phone and try to help because i dont know where. I dont know what i would have done or where i be without being of service to the ladies. Who they say are the ladies of the evening. But i say, who are the ladies of the future. Because once you get pull on my hair, pull it, pull them up. That whole baby, they can Something Else . Yes. I had to. One is how do you describe that moment or that that period when there was a shift because clearly something has shifted in your life. Mm hmm. And also, what was it like to write about this and your life and and how did you figure out which things to tell and how to tell . It . The thats the switch. When i decided to get my life together. Well, you know, i you know, when ive been i my face got messed up in everything i didnt really decide it was over. There was moments actually to. First of all i was in Treatment Center on the west side of chicago. And this lady just this this wonderful counselor, she told us we were in a group and she some stuff like we were a doorway, a doorway to life. And i said, okay, whats that that . And she said, okay, you figure it out and get back with me. So now im like, the doorway, life, the doorway to life. And im just no im is jerry. What is that still you killing me . Come on, now. Whats that . Im the doorway to life. Come on, give me a hand. She said, baby, you a doorway to life. And she got on my nerves bad. I couldnt figure it out for everything she said why would you be the doorway to life as i am now . She said, gods doorway to life, brenda. I had no clu thats how far i was. You know . Anybody know . She said to your body comes life. I said, oh lord, you said it so simple. She said, you are gods doorway to life. She why would you say all that. I said, oh my god. She its priceless. She said, through you the next creator, you know, cure for cancer or the next great man or president or whatever could come out, you know, come through your body. You use it. I it shes and i thought about it, but i thought about on a level i had already delivered great people into the world. You know, my daughters, but i never of my body as being gods doorway to life. And i said to her said, oh, im priceless. And then i said some dumb stuff like. Well, suit people all my money because. They didnt pay me, you know. And shes like, you know, brenda, you are Something Else. And so i thought about that and the value of me and things that, you know, i had did that didnt even add up to my value. And then i said, i cant even do this no more because im real. And i, im i cant charge enough for this. And. And then i went to back to the treatment place and. Here comes my daughter. A few months later and she has stomach out to here and she is pregnant. My first grandchild in the world. And im going to be grandmother. My first grandchild in the world. And i looked at her. And i talked to her stomach and i told her stomach that i was going to be a better grandmother than i was a mother mother, because im going to be a grandmother. And ama. Awesome, awesome grandma. I call my grandbaby to reason for a season because she was the reason that i made that decision. And now not only am i a great groom, i mean a good grandma, but i have Amazing Stories to tell my grandbabies. They have been with me through this journey and they have saw their do Amazing Things because before i had nothing to tell them. I had no rocking chair stories to tell them, no chats to deal with them. But now they know. The grandkids know me as super granny, you know i am the fun granny. So thats why that was a turning point when she came in, they were just coming. Anybody else. I thank people for coming. How did you hear about it on thing . Oh, and thank for coming. I think the previous lady wanted to know more about your writing, why, how you chose to write what you chose. Yeah. Okay. My writing. I was i had a ghostwriter. Her name was April Reynolds and. It was. Okay. So listen, after we did the documentary, i was trying to find somebody that could write book in my voice right. Because. I just needed someone that could help me write it in my voice and not in their voice. Because every time i asked somebody to help me write it, they want to just sensationalize guys it and all kinds of crazy stuff like said, its not me and. So my my producer knew alice walker and she and we called alice walker and we called alice walker. I talked to her haters and she was on she busy on projects and she said but i got a i got a girl a mentoring, you know, and, you know, she wanted her to that im one of i can i can i will you up one of my girls im mentoring and she gave me april and as soon as i started to april i loved her. She was like me and her. It was like being like hitting each other like brown rock n roll and and i took my girlfriend stephanie as that. Hey, i found who to write my book. Oh, incidentally, my my best friend stephanie is the one reason this book was wrote because she was really gentlest. She was the person who said, you got a book. And i say, im really. And she said, yeah, she she was she would not stop until wrote this book. She would not leave me alone. She, by my best mean could you imagine being one. So everybody everyday you where are we going to write the book. Come over here so we can start it and just bugging me because she loved my stories, right . And she said, youre going to write a book. So thanks to Stephanie Daniels wilson, this book is ha ha ha ha ho. But it was April Reynolds who wrote this book the way that i told it to her, because they always say, nobody can tell a story like me and i wanted it to be in my voice because it was my life. And i could tell it to you so. April wrote it and i told it to april. So we were in a hotel for a few months and it was hard. It was a lot of crying. It was a lot of stuff going on. And after that, you know the a lot of stuff was pulled out of me and pulled out that i didnt want to get pulled up, you know, but i did it because, you know, you do stuff to to put stuff to rest and then when you when i did this, i, i regurgitated a lot of stuff. So it was hard, you know, i had to get that stuff back together. But im good. So thanks to everyone else for putting all of this together. Thats who we need to give a hand to. So i loved your book. I loved how intelligent and smart and brave you were throughout all of your life. No wonder you can some great things now because youve always been a very smart lady. Thank. One of the things that i would like to know, because i didnt do my research on your organization, can you give a couple examples of how you young women out of trafficking or prostitution and what you do for them through your organization . Dreamcatcher or another organization connected with you . This is a dream. I just one of these things that shes doing is doing my masters did the exact active assisting in this outreach who are working in global. Hi im brenda stewart. Im the executive assistant to the dream catchers foundation. Outreach. We usually go out at night and, we go to where we say hot spots. Thats what call them. And we go out in sometimes when we go out, these young ladies, theyll tell you if you are and and the dream catchers foundation, which i think is survivor. Let im a survivor. I met brenda in Cook County Jail when she worked at the sheriffs department. And im one of those ladies that helped get out of prostitution. Im one of those ladies that i havent been back to jail or the penitentiary since i met brenda myerspowell. We go out and we meet these. Were it because i once was now and we hug them. We talk to and we let them know that theyre special, that meet somebody, that they mean something to us, that theyre important and that it is a way out. Sometimes arm it is hard because weve lost some women to this life. Thats what made us start taking pictures in the young ladies to take pictures of them, because sometimes Police Department would call brenda and say, do you know this lady. And we go out in. Because they deserve. To be recognized. And now we have a dropping center and we go out in the daytime in they can come here and they can dress. We have them around with to seen in and we feed them they take showers are changed clothes and they can just come near in have a place to call home because what it is is very comfortable. We have couches and she a kitchen. Its the apartment and they come near and they can talk you know and they can be themselves, you know. Then we asked them, what can we do them . What would they like for us to do . Because i remember, i wanted somebody to just ask me me web what happened. Brenda today we had crisis. And i told brenda, i see, you know, i know myself since was all the way i was seven years old because i had been molested and i wanted somebody to ask me instead of see oh she repeat on the self again go run some bath water. I want somebody to ask me, brenda, what happened. Where and . Then i met brenda. And she knew where. So thats what the Dreamcatcher Foundation. Does. Thank you. We give our toiletries, we give out water, and we give our mcdonald cars for the street. On our street outreach. And you, as you can know, we said we, daphne, give out hugs and we give out boots. You know, when you stuff when it starts getting cold because some girls on the streets are just going to be on the street and the ones who come to our drop in center can change clothes and do they can take one change of clothes with them. You know what im saying . If were if our stock is is is, is is up to par, you know what im saying . But they definitely can come near and, you know, relax in and take nap and everything because sometimes they baby two had to be on the street by sale or you know, they just too tired and i and i come in and sit with until it, you know, i just stay. Well as long as they can get they self together, you know. But i go all is to have a wellness center, you know and so it and to even start that it would be like one 1. 5 million. So ill be outside waiting for that check soon as anybody can through. But anyway, thats our thats our dream goal because you know what is going to save lives whenever we get there, whenever we get there to have that dream, that, that, that dreamcatcher wellness center, its going to