Maya Angelou Was Sex Trafficked (and she would want you to know)
As a young woman, Maya Angelou was sex trafficked.
There, I said it.
Many journalists refuse to mention the difficult times in her early life. They don’t want to bring it up preferring to just let it go, leave it in the past…
It seems to me, this is passing judgment on her life choices. She recognized it as simply being human:
“I wrote about my experiences because I thought too many people tell young folks, "I never did anything wrong. Who, Moi? – never I. I have no skeletons in my closet. In fact, I have no closet." They lie like that and then young people find themselves in situations and they think, "Damn I must be a pretty bad guy. My mom or dad never did anything wrong." They can't forgive themselves and go on with their lives. (Wolf, Linda (Winter 1995). "Laugh and Dare to Love". In Context Magazine. Vol. 43. p. 45. Archived from the original on April 5, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2017.)
Maya Angelou, the poet, writer, singer, dancer, mother was coerced through lies and manipulation into turning tricks for a man she loved. He used her to help him pay off his gambling debts.
She was trusting, loving, and generous. An easy target. And so it continues for many American girls today.
Maya Angelou’s experience is the premise of my newest novel, Mouth Shut, Head Down:
In their search for love and security,
the vulnerable are targeted by abusers
and then trapped into silence.
I wrote that premise years ago, without knowing of Maya Angelou’s personal experiences. It wasn’t until last week when, in my research, I stumbled across the similarities. I needed a female writer in my novel’s North Philadelphia high school. The story opens with the seniors studying Tennessee Williams. I wanted to end with a strong woman.
That’s exactly what I found in Maya Angelou.
Her early life is not usual dinner conversation, but it should be. Our teens should be aware of the personalities waiting just outside the door, in the boss’s office, at the next family party and even at the head of the table. 80% of the time, sex trafficking in the United States is initiated by someone known and trusted by the victim. See my post from the director of Covenant House for more information on sex trafficking.
My novel Mouth Shut, Head Down will be coming out at the end of this year. It's written from the perspective of the sex trafficked girl’s best friend, Allee. I want my readers to feel Allee’s confusion, loyalty and loss as she struggles to understand how her best friend, Tanaya, was so easily caught in the snare of an older charming man.
Allee is me, the observer. And my readers.
We are Allee.
I couldn’t write from the POV of the sex trafficked because I was never sex trafficked. No matter how much I research the topic, I can’t put myself in their place.
But Maya Angelou can.
Read Gather Together In My Name to get an in-depth look at how Maya was coerced into prostitution. Within her pages, you’ll discover how a young girl’s generous, trusting spirit was exploited.
And how she came to be a Madam for Lesbians.
Seriously. Go ahead and read it.
It’s my hope that with Mouth Shut, Head Down, readers will find the goodness in Maya shining through my Tanaya. And then like Allee, we can start a conversation to end domestic sex trafficking.
Or, at the very least, stop judging those trapped in it.
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