Collaboration = Freedom: A survivor’s journey
Col·lab·o·ra·tion
/kəˌlabəˈrāSH(ə)n/
=
Freedom
According to the dictionary, the word collaboration is a noun meaning “the action of working with someone to produce or create something.”
Synonyms include- cooperation, alliance, partnership, participation, combination, and association.
When I think of freedom, I think of it being a part of the human experience. However, that is not the human experience for many. According to the A21 Campaign, there are millions of slaves in the world today. And only 1% are ever rescued. As part of the 1% who was rescued, it is my duty to, collaborate and form alliances with others to put forth action in producing an ongoing plan to end human trafficking, prevent adverse childhood experiences, and prioritize the safety, health and education of every child. To better understand the need for collaboration, I’d like to take you on a journey through the mind of a survivor and what she had to go through to end up on the other side. You’ll find her story below.
In the eyes of a survivor, there is no one person who can counteract and heal the countless acts of betrayal. I remember being in 7th grade and my Spanish teacher, Mr. Herman, doing everything he could to help me go down a straight and narrow path. Even with all of his wisdom, kindness, and logic, it didn’t stop me from hopping on a greyhound bus from my small town of Oroville to the state capital where I was first forced into human trafficking. Although he had great intentions, he alone was not enough to protect me. I was 13 years old.
I remember living with my grandmother who prayed for me day and night. Always encouraging me to do the right thing. She took me in while my father was serving a life sentence for attempted murder and my mother was in prison for drugs and prostitution. Even with her hunched back, huge heart, grey hairs and beautiful gap in between her teeth, she could not stop me from running away and being brutally beaten by a 26-year-old man who was trying to exploit me. Although she had great intentions, she alone was not enough to protect me. I was 14 years old.
When I was 17 I fled from my abuser. I was single and had three children. I moved from the Bay Area back to Sacramento. He followed me. My neighbors would hear the abuse. They would see the bruises; they would ask me if I was ok and would call law enforcement when it got really bad. They wanted to help me. They wanted to see him arrested and locked up. They cared about my well-being and the safety of my children. However, it wasn’t enough to stop me from hopping on a jet and traveling across the United States to sell my soul since that was the only pure thing left inside of me. My neighbors had good intentions. But they alone were not enough to protect me. I was 18 years old.
In all of these truths, we find one thing in common. No one person was able to end my experiences of being kidnapped, sold, abused and exploited through human trafficking, domestic violence and sexual assault. But, if I look at my life today at the age of 27, I have proof that collaboration does equal freedom.
Since I was rescued, I have cooperated with the laws of society. I have formed alliances with anti-trafficking organizations by speaking at global anti-trafficking events. I have formed partnerships with my community as part of my healing process. I have participated in supporting victims of domestic violence by becoming a domestic violence advocate. I have combined my experiences and knowledge to help juveniles who have experienced three or more ACEs, been trafficked, and or abused by visiting them while incarcerated to spread the hope that they so badly need. I have made it a priority to associate myself with people in power, so that through my voice I can speak to how vital it is for children to have a network of people who are there to empower, encourage, strengthen and validate who they are; not pity them for what they’ve been through. Today I am free.
About the Author
Breauna Hodnett is a determined and resilient gal who sees life as her oyster. She has a passion for exhibiting the change she wishes to see in the world by taking a stand and fighting for social justice any opportunity she gets. When Breauna settles down for the night, she still has her cape intact as she is a wife and mother to her six children who mean the world to her. Though Breauna has faced many hardships in her life, as a survivor, she is committed to walking in her purpose and becoming all she was created to be by God. She is the definition of hope; something we all desperately need.