HALLE BERRY OPENS UP ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
THE FACTS
Halle Berry has come forward with her volunteer work at LA area battered women’s shelters in light of the financial restraints placed upon them due to the downtrodden economy.
THE SPIN
If you didn’t think Halle Berry was amazing before feel free to think so after reading this story.
Recently, the Oscar-winning actress discussed her own family history of domestic violence in order to bring attention to the many women she’s helped console as a part of her volunteer work.
Earlier in the year, fellow actor and now governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, sought to balance the budget by cutting a number of social programs – particularly ones that aided abused women. Gee, cut off funding for battered women at a time when stress levels are at an all-time high. Genius, that is.
In any event, Halle’s been volunteering for years under the radar but has opted to open up about this part of her life for the greater good.
In the past Halle has refused to discuss the beatings her mother encountered at the hands of her father, but now more candid she’s shed light on the abuse she and her siblings witnessed.
Via Britain’s The Times:
“I saw my mother battered, and could not do anything to stop it,” she said. “My father was tyrannical, lashing out at her for no reason. I felt the effects that had on our family — I’ve experienced what these women have gone through.”
She said her mother was still working out why she took it for so many years. “That is a deep question, and I am not sure she will ever come up with one answer. I have one answer to anyone in a similar situation — get out.”
Berry never forgave her father, a hospital porter, even as he lay dying with Parkinson’s disease in 2003. He sold his account of their estrangement to a tabloid “for a pack of beer and cigarettes”, Berry said.
She wondered if her parents’ relationship had affected her past romances.
She said: “I never had to run to a shelter, but I did choose the wrong partners. Not always good men. Luckily, in recent years, I have been smart enough to hit the door when violence even becomes a possibility. That is something I will not tolerate.”
YOUR SPIN: Do you think more celebs need to open up about this kind of stuff? Tell us here.
Image courtesy of hollywoodteen.net
(*The views contained herein are solely the views of their respective authors, and do not express the views of TV One. TV One does not take responsibility for their content.)
Good for Halle. Now she can begin her healing process, by not staying angry with blackmen, because of the abusiveness of her father. I believe this is why she’s been having a hard time in relationships with the blackmen she’s been with, because of her being traumitized from what was demonstrated in her childhood.
Its very possible that her own parents’ relationship affected hers. Now that she’s acknowledge this, I only hope the healing can begin.
And Karen, I hope she begins to see that for every blackman like her father or Eric Benet, there are good honest blackmen that will love her.
thats good that Halle was able to open up and share as this kind of information is very difficult to tell others, thats great that she is helping other women who have been abused
I agree Karen C. I hope Halle Berry don’t hold that against all black men because of her father.
Who said she had anything against ‘black’ men. They just happened to be the pricks that bullied her. If she had a problem with ‘black’ men she wouldn’t be attracted to them or have even dated them.
Controllers come in all colours.
We need to get domestic violence programmes into main stream education (high school age) for girls to prevent. Most females are still conditioned to being ‘second class to men’ even, educated, ‘successful’ women will still probably let their men dominate them in certain aspects of the relationship.
I am glad that Halle Decided to help in this cause. I maybe mistaken but I thought Ms. Berry too was a vcitim of Domestic Violence.
Although I do think she has issues with Blackmen. Look at her movies and how many of her leading men were black?
How did a positive message for abused women become a tired about black men? Halle never said anything negative about black men (even when her two ex-husbands dogged her). Women have a right to stand up for themselves without worrying about how men will respond. For black men: When a woman decides to leave an abusive relationship and speak out to help others, it’s not about you! Halle, keep up the good work and accept all the love your man supplies.
All I got to say is….. thank you Nestafan! I was thinking the samething…lol
@Nestafan, I concur.
Nestafan, I went back and read her statements and she, indeed, didn’t say anything negative about black men as a whole. My bad.
She may very well have issues but she never actually said that so we shouldn’t assume. If you assume that, then its probably you.
i feel halle. i think because of domestic violence my mother went thru caused me to also have bad relationships. i think i was looking for love and compassion i didnt get from my father. but im ok now,and i applaud halle for volunteering her time to help other women going through domestic violence.
Well said Nestafan!
More celebs need to open up about these things;it shows no matter who you are, how much money you have and even if your drop dead gorgeous it can happen to you. Many women don’t realize that being abused isn’t just physical,emotional or sexually it can also be verbal and any form of abuse is about control & having power over the individual. I’m glad Halle has chosen to be transparent about her life and her exposure to abuse; she may not realized the volume of women she is encouraging to get out of abusive relationships and regain their self-esteem and come into their own.
Thanks Halle for being the “chosen one” and continue to let your voice be heard.
Good for Halle. She’s not one of my favorite celebs, but if this is about helping women who have been victims of abuse than I will share on this forum. Yes’ I agree if there is anyone that suffer from being in relationships that are undeserving, they should find that voice to tell them to leave.
Start by getting married Halle. Give yourself that third shot. Stop dwelling on the past look to your future for your daughter. This guy may not be like your father or the men that didn’t appreciate you. Don’t let satan have that domination over you.
It’s nice for women to have forums on abuse, but it can be repeated if you continue to hold these discussion. For an example look at what happened to Juanita Bynum the prophetess that tried to empower women on their battles of abuse and got a beat down publicly by her preacher husband. This is a reality. Be careful about the message coming from the messenger. Halle don’t need to discuss openly to the public about what she endured from her childhood, if she likes it can be with her family and close friends. People have eyes and some sense to know that there was abuse in Halle’s childhood and own two failed marriages.
If I offended any of you ladies on this site I apologize for any of my mishappenings. As a man I have to get some input on this, to let you know that some men have been in abusive relationships too. Men have feelings too and we can’t tell it without being called sissy, punk or soft. We love and hurt just as much. when there is a discussion on abuse its two sides to a story and its not always the man to be the aggressor.
wrong interpretation: the man is not always been men the aggressor.
again excuse my interpretation: The man has not always been the aggressor. I’m having a conversation as I’m trying to type this. Sorry for the errors.
Christopher, not sure on the married thing. That’s Halle’s choice though if her reasons is the past, she does need to allow herself to heal.
I feel you on the abuse of men thing though. It goes on all the time but often gets unnoticed because the man doesn’t want to be viewed as soft or a punk. That’s society’s fault on that one. Take the CB/Rihanna incident. Let’s say CB would’ve continued to take her crap. He would’ve been called a punk. Does that mean do what he did? No! Not at all. Rather he should’ve just walked away but my point is abuse should never be tolerated from the man nor the woman. Just because you have a vagina instead of a penis doesn’t mean you are any less of a threat.
Sorry if I offended anyone but I do see and agree with Christopher’s point on that one.
Christopher & Ervin points well taken~