RECOGNIZING THE PERSON |
"It's not easy to go on TV and say, O Yeah, I was in the sex trade it's not easy to be that person because I think there's more to me than that but you have to talk about it..." |
" ~ Recognizing the Person" is a story of one woman's journey from a childhood of abuse to a youth of drug addiction and prostitution and to her adulthood as a child rights activist, recipient of the Governor General's Award, and proud mother. |
 This documentary follows Cherry as she uses her story to sensitize student leaders to the reality of sexually exploited youth in Canada. At 10, she and her sister fled abuse at home, were apprehended, separated, and put into care. At 14, she was forced into the sex trade. Cherry takes us to revisit those familiar places where she spent eight years as a prostitute and drug addict. With her, we meet some of the people who recognized the person that Cherry was capable of becoming and who supported her through the change that she has achieved. She shares with us the two major motivations for transformation, her son Dakota and her connecting to her aboriginal roots.
Cherry's story is not that of a victim. She is a proud survivor and this documentary is, ultimately, a celebration of her achievements. Her story is about the healing that has enabled her to create the security, acceptance, and loving environment for her young son, Dakota - and the care and focus she gives to marginalised youth in various communities. |
Her life's work extends into the world through her involvement with support groups, safe houses, and national and international conferences on the rights of children. Cherry presented an "Agenda for Action" to the United Nations with Senator Landon Pearson. It was created by sexually exploited youth who attended the "Out From the Shadows" International Summit that she co-chaired with Senator Landon in Victoria, British Columbia in 1998. |
"If you rob a bank you get a minimum of five years in this country you can rob a child of their innocence, of their life, of their childhood, and chances are you won't see a day in court, let alone a day in jail. We in this society need to protect our children with the vigilance and zeal that we protect our property and our money." - Cherry Kingsley |
In October 2000, Cherry received the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons" case for her work in promoting the equality of women in Canada. |
"I think sometimes circumstances can be so big and opportunities so small that life can seem pretty overwhelming. But when your opportunities increase, then you just try and make that happen for other people too." - |
We invite you to share this exciting and uplifting story and to celebrate the capacity of the human spirit to triumph over adversity and to find a powerful and authentic voice. |
Cherry Kingsley ~ Biography |
1970 Born in Hamilton, Ontario to a mother from the Shuswap First Nations, Alkali Lake. |
1980 Cherry ran away with her sister from her abusive stepfather and their Calgary home. For three days, they walked along railway lines to Cochrane where they were apprehended, separated, and put into foster care. Over the next eight years, Cherry lived in twenty different care and foster homes. |
1984 At fourteen years old, she left for Vancouver with Ofriends' who forced her into prostitution. She worked in the sex trade on and off for the next eight years and became addicted to heroin and cocaine. |
1986 Ran away from her pimp to Los Angeles but was returned to Calgary when police found her suffering from a drug overdose. |
1988 A social worker arranged for Cherry to attend a "National Youth in Care" conference in PEI. Inspired by this, Cherry went on to become the founding member of the Alberta "Youth in Care and Custody Network". Kim Pate, (now the Director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies), recognized Cherry's powerful public speaking ability and enlisted Cherry's participation in a youth conference.
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1990 Cherry returned to Vancouver and the sex trade, where she was raped and nearly murdered. She resolved to turn her life around by leaving prostitution and drugs behind her. |
1991 She became pregnant and Cherry made a profound vow to commit her life to working for disadvantaged youth should her child be born healthy. |
1992 As a mother to a healthy newborn son, Dakota, she forged a new relationship with her body, struggled valiantly to stay clean, and to be a good mother. She connected with her First Nations" roots and the forms of spiritual healing that her culture teaches. |
1995 Work with the BC Provincial Government to develop the "BC Youth in Care Network". UNICEF invited her to address the 1996 World Congress Against Commercial Exploitation of Children in Stockholm. Senator Landon Pearson and Cherry planned and co-chaired "Out From the Shadows", an international summit on sexually exploited youth. Seventy-five youth from the Americas attended the conference after which their "Agenda for Action" was presented to the United Nations. Cherry became friends with the aboriginal MP, Ethel Blondin-Andrew, who later nominated her for the Governor General's Award. |
1998 Cherry, working with Save the Children Canada, visited twenty-two communities across Canada speaking with 150 sexually exploited aboriginal youth and co-authored the "Sacred Lives" report. |
2000 October 18 She was awarded the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons' Case. |
2001 December Cherry was the NGO spokesperson at the 2nd World Congress Against Commercial Exploitation of Children in Japan. |
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GUMBOOT PRODUCTIONS, in association with the Women's Television Network, is proud to present the documentary, "Cherry Kingsley ~ Recognizing the Person". takes us on a journey through her experiences growing up in an abusive home and her youth spent in prostitution and drug addiction to receiving the Governor General's award as an international spokesperson for the rights of children. Her story shows the struggle she undergoes to turn her life around and become a voice for sexually exploited youth both in Canada and internationally. This remarkable story is one of triumph, of finding a voice, and of learning how to use that voice to effect change.