Guest on Headline News Issues with Jane Velez Mitchell
It has been a great week with the signing of Erin’s Law on Monday by Governor Quinn, the vision I now have is one step closer now that it is signed into law. Over the course of the week I did several newspaper interviews, landed an interview with Marie Claire Magazine United Kingdom Edition that will come out around September, booked another speaking engagement possibly two waiting to hear back on a University. Then Friday morning a little after 8 my agent contacts me after a producer from HLN (CNN sister network) for Issues with Jane Velez Mitchell wanted me to appear on the show as they were discussing the breaking news story of the Brown siblings who were sexually abused by their father. I put my Friday plans on hold as I waited back for producers call who was trying to see if we could get a studio for me to do the interview. By noon I was on the road to Chicago where I went to Tribune Tower and headed up to the CNN Chicago headquarters. I met with a make-up artist and as we talked she asked why I was going on the show. I shared with her in a few sentences I was abused as a child, wrote two books, and Governor Quinn just signed my law Monday to educate kids on sexual abuse in schools, and my mission now is to talk to our President about this. She went on to share that she has done President Obama’s makeup three times now. Twice while he was State Senator and once now since becoming President.
Once my makeup was done I headed into the studio and started talking with the cameraman who hooked me up to a mic and ear piece. This was the first interview I was doing where I wasn’t sitting across from the host interviewing me but instead I was just looking into the camera and hearing the host in my ear. The cameraman gave me one word of advice “Always look at the camera once the show starts because even if the host is not talking to you directly the camera could still have you showing in a box. The cameraman then started asking me after learning why I was going on the show very interesting questions. “Now that you have written books about this and passed a law where does Erin plan to go from here? What will you move on to next will there be other issues you will get involved with?
His question was interesting and I answered it this way. “I never in a million years would of imagined I would be writing books and passing a law. If you were to have asked me ten years ago when I was 16 where do I see myself at 26 I would of told you a stay at home mom with a high school diploma. At 16 I could not talk about this issue privately let alone on national television because as you know it is a silent epidemic in our society and I never would have guessed I would of gone off to get my masters degree.
As for what will be my next move and what else will I get involved with. I’m still holding on to that dream of being a mom where that is my full time job, but I don’t know if that will be the case but I do know for sure my life will always be invested in fighting this evil epidemic in our world. It will still be a problem ten years from now. I am not walking away from this fight I will always be invested in some way or another in fighting this evil that happens in our world and will write many more books. I was holding back from telling him what my actual plans are now that Erin’s law is signed because I wanted him to hear that for himself when I spoke on the panel for the show. The show you can watch here: Issues with Jane Velez Mitchell
The makeup artist was standing right outside the room where I was doing the interview and after it was all done both the cameraman and makeup artist thought it was a great interview and loved the way I ended it. Sexual abuse has affected my life deeply more then anything else in my life and it is something that will have an impact on me the rest of my life. So I fight hard to educate our society and protect our innocent because I know the aftermath that comes and I will fight to save anyone from the heartaches I have faced in my life from abuse. I have been thrown other challenges in my life but I choose not to take a stand on those issues. I choose to continue to use the voice that was silenced throughout my childhood. The one thing I still have.
