Common reveals he endured alleged sexual abuse as a child at the hands of a family friend in memoir Let Love Have the Last Word.
While working on a film, Common came to the realization of his possible abuse and decided to include the incident in his memoir to normalize discussion of childhood sexual trauma, especially among Black men. In an audio clip exclusively debuted by Entertainment Weekly, Common shares the hard decision to share his story.
“I talked about being molested because, as a black man, many men have hidden that. Many people have hidden that. And you carry that weight with you. But at some point, you’ve got to let it go.”
Common continued the discussion through social media.
I talked about being molested because, as a Black man, many men have hidden that. Many people have hidden that. And you carry that weight with you. But at some point, you’ve got to let it go. https://t.co/DRvuPBcJIp
— COMMON (@common) May 8, 2019
The memoir Let Love Have The Last Word shares Common’s experience with love including wins and losses, following up his 2011 memoir One Day It’ll All Make Sense.
