Page 21 - The Culture Report

The Culture Report

The facts of the case are this: As a child Cyntoia Brown taken from her alcoholic mother and placed in
foster care. She became a teen runaway during which time she experienced numerous rapes and
assaults. She was found herself in a relationship with a man named “Cut Throat.” As the name might
suggest, he was abusive and later became her pimp. In 2004, 43-year-old Johnny Allen met the then 16-
year-old Brown in Sonic parketing lot and solicited sex for $150. At his home, she later shot him.

On the face of it, a sex-trafficked, emotionally and physically abused child about to be forced into sex
with a grown man had every right to defend herself. At the time though, Tennessee thought otherwise
and tried Brown for murder as an adult. She received what amounted to a life sentence (60 years).

Black women, some well-known and some who you should know, have been spearheading efforts to
shine a light on Brown’s case for years. Organizer and activist Mariame Kaba stated, “People in TN
have been organizing around her case since at least 2008.” The work that black women and other
activists put in applied the pressure that Governor Haslam responded to. We should keep that in mind
when we think about moving forward to the next victory. Rapper T.I., definitely not a black woman,
may have said it best though on Instagram when he posed to Brown’s clemency, “your voice matters!”

From @prisonculture twitter page: Here are ways to support @CyntoiaBrown right now while she's
still incarcerated.

ANB House of Royalty Publications