“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are different from my own.”
Audre Lorde/Gamba Adisa
(February 18, 1934 – November 17, 1992)
An American writer, feminist, womanist, librarian and civil rights activist. She was a self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet” who dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing injustices of racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism and homophobia.
(source: Wikipedia)
“You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.”
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (January 17, 1964)
An American lawyer and author who was the first lady of the United States from 2009-2017. She is married to the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama. She is the first African-American First Lady of the United States.
Mrs. Obama is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
(source: Wikipedia)
As a mother, wife, daughter, friend, social worker and human being I use my voice for to uplift others and raise awareness from my perspective. With all of my good intentions and passion for justice, my perspective is laced with privilege.
My vision, like the rest of the human race, is filtered through my experiences. So, it becomes my responsibility to remove the veil in order to listen to the voices of others so I can learn what I cannot comprehend on my own. I need other people to teach me so my perspective doesn’t operate independently. My perspective can become part of a collective solution.
The next seven days I will hold space for the voices of women of color. Each, who have removed veils for me to hear and see more clearly. Though, I have lengthy stories on each woman and how their words and lives changed me, my words are not the point.
There is no need to explain any further what their perspectives and voices are able to accomplish on their own.
I stand with justice and black lives matter.
