How Common's Mom Reacted After Learning About His Childhood Molestation

Common shared the difficult moment he told his mother he had been molested as a child by a family friend.

When actor and rapper Common accepted a part in Jennifer Fox's film "The Tale," he never expected that the role would change his life.

The movie which focuses on sexual child abuse took Common on a journey he never expected to make, and led him to face events in his own childhood.

FACING HIS TRUTH

Jennifer Fox's autobiographical film centers on how abuse victims alter their memories in order to deny - and survive - their molestation.

During the filming Common found himself remembering his own childhood, and the molestation he'd been subjected to.

“I didn’t even realize it happened until I was doing a film called "The Tale", which deals with that subject matter. I actually told my costar Laura Dern, ‘Yo, I think this happened to me.’ It just started coming back to me,” Common said.

Common hopes that breaking the conspiracy of silence about molestation will help empower victims to find help

OPENING UP TO HIS FAMILY

Common was determined to tell his story, and started writing a memoir, "Let Love Have the Last Word." But before he revealed his story to the world, Common sat down with his mother, Dr. Mahalia Hines.

The rapper was initially anxious about his mother's reaction, but she surprised him.

"She’s worked in Chicago public schools as a principal and teacher, so the stories she’s heard. . . . Obviously it’s different when it’s your child. But she said, ‘I hate that these things happened, and I know people that it’s happened to before. Are you okay?’ She checked on me,” he revealed.

MOLESTED BY A FAMILY FRIEND

Common revealed that he was molested at the age of 9 by a trusted family friend. Child molesters are usually close to the child's family circle, which makes the revelation of the abuse so much harder for the victim.

EMPOWERING BLACK MEN TO FACE ABUSE

Common was inspired by Jennifer Fox to use his own experience to help other victims of child abuse in the black community to heal.

“I wanted to go places where I feel like as a black man we don’t always go. It hasn’t been part of our culture. When I was talking about being molested, it was like man, you know what? I’m going to write about this,” he says.

Common hopes that breaking the conspiracy of silence about molestation will help empower victims to find help, and alert parents to the dangers that may lurk within their own community.

WHITNEY HOUSTON WAS MOLESTED BY A FAMILY MEMBER

Kevin Macdonald's controversial documentary "Whitney" brought to light some painful truths about the deceased Diva.

Before the documentary's release, the film's executive producer informed Whitney Houston's mother, Cissy Houston, that the singer and her brother Gary had been sexually molested by their cousin Dee Dee Warwick.

Whitney had confided to her aunt, Mary Jones, that she had been molested between the ages of seven and nine while her mother was touring.

Like so many abuse victims, Whitney and Gary kept silent out of fear and shame, even after Warwick passed away in 2008.