I am on sitting on stage after a very successful show thinking to myself how I got here, my past is so terrible how could I be here, then I start thinking about the past and how I ended up here then I thought about how there are teens out there who feel like I felt and I have to tell my story.

“My name is Liberty Hawkins, I am 26 years old, a single mother and a well known singer.” She looked around the room at the young teenage faces then continued. “I was seven years old when it first happened.” It was three days before her eighth birthday and she got a gift that she will never forget. “My mom went on her daily two hour jog it felt like an all night jog, anyways I was in my room watching cartoons, then my dad came in and sat right next to me and said I love you sweetheart. “I replied with an I love you too like I always do, then he asks me do I want to play a game… I jumped up and said yes, then he says okay but first its really hot so lets take off our clothes and put something cooler on so I take off my shirt and pants and he does the same… he then says give me a kiss “sweetheart” so I give him one on the cheek and he says no on the lips.” A tear rolled down liberty’s face, she pauses and continues with her story. “I said daddy mommy says she is the only girl who can kiss you on the lips, then he giggles and says well I love you both the same so she wouldn’t mine, but before I can give him a fatherly kiss he rubs my hands and kisses me, I didn’t like it, it felt weird then I asked when are we going to start our game… he says we can start now lay down and I am going to rock you to sleep so I lay down and he starts to undress me some more so I tell him to get off and that I feel uncomfortable, but he won’t stop then I feel a really sharp pain and start to scream but he is covering my mouth.” She pauses again. “I was hurting so bad, he had my eyes and mouth covered I couldn’t tell what was going on I just knew I was in pain, I couldn’t move it was like I was stuck, I felt like I couldn’t breath then I started to get tired and about an hour later which felt like an eternity I was in the bath and my dad was washing me up for dinner and he tells me not to say anything to mom about our little game we played earlier… Dinner that night was really quiet and that night I could not sleep I just laid there trying to figure out what game someone would play that would make someone hurt so much.” “Sixth grade is when it stopped I couldn’t take it anymore I didn’t want to be abused anymore, so I finally told my mom and her and my dad got a divorce and my dad went to prison, and at that time I felt like I was all alone and in a dark place. Then one day I found out I had a gift which was to sing I thought I would never make it big I also thought my little secret wouldn’t let me.” “I was in the eleventh grade I was coming from track practice I had to walk home because mom was going to be working late tonight, it was around six o’clock so to past the time I start to sing my favorite song, I will always love you by Whitney Houston; there was a man walking behind me but I didn’t pay him much attention I just kept walking and singing then I felt a hand on my shoulder saying miss was that you singing, I reply yes.” “You have a really lovely voice, do you sing often… I mean do you sing big.” He said, “No, I replied I am not that good.” “What are you talking about you sounded pretty good to me, look I am sorry where are my manners my name is Jonathon I work with Sing-it records.” “Well that’s great but I don’t think I have a future in being a singer, sorry to cut this short but I have to get home.” I tried to walk away but he followed me. “ Okay please take my card please call me or have your mom or dad call me.” “I don’t have a Dad!! I yelled… sorry I will talk to my mom, have a nice evening.” “You too.” He said. When my mom got home I told her and she says its up to me, so that night I go in the mirror and sing a song… “Hey I thought I was pretty good so I tell my mom the next morning I want to do it I want to sing.” We called Jonathon that night and he said I could come in the studio and the manager would be there to analyze my voice.”
“It was Saturday when we went and I sang a song Silly of me by Denise Williams to be exact; they had us waiting for hours and when they came back in they said I was good NO GREAT! That made me smile I felt good like I was good at something, they said to come back in two weeks and they would have some songs written up and ready for me to sing. Before those two weeks came I was having a hard time sleeping I kept thinking about that night, that one night I knew was going to mess up my future. I went in my mothers room and woke her up and told her I was thinking about him on top of me hurting me, and she told me everything will be okay and that she was here for me and I laid in the bed with her, something I haven’t done in years. After a little counseling like you young teens are doing now, I felt I was ready to go in the studio and sing my heart out and I did my mom was sitting on the other side of the window smiling then I seen a tear come down; then I notice she was having happy tears.:) Months went by and it was summer when I got the call saying that my voice made it to the radio, after that call I started singing all over and everywhere I went my mom went to cheer me on. “What I am saying here young teens is our past does not predict our future.” Liberty said with a strong voice, and then she continued. I was singing songs that people written for me then I started to write my own all of them were about rising to the top and making my mom proud. A year or two later I got married and had a child of my own a young girl I named her Angel, because she brings me the most joy and she was a gift from god, sadly me and my husband got a divorce (he couldn’t stand me being on tour) so now I am a single mother. My mother is there to help, and I thank her for that. One more thing teens “My name is Liberty Hawkins, I am 26 years old, a single mother and a well known singer.” “A PHENOMENAL SINGER, and my past is behind me it could not WILL NOT effect the person I am now, I hope you all can do the same.” All the teenagers at the teen help center and stood up and clapped, some were crying and some told liberty they were going to try harder in life to be the best they can.