Action of One

I left an organization I help co-found 20 years ago in 2018. Although I was leaving, and it felt a bit strange it was time for me to go. I felt I had done all I could do, and it was time for someone younger to step up. Plus, I wanted to work on writing and publishing and they both take time. Since I did not enter writing as someone who always wanted to write I needed to first improve my writing skills. This has taken time and lots and lots of practice.

Writing professionally is not easy and is a career where you must be confident in what you do. I was neither starting out and at times I am nervous about what I write. Will people understand what I am trying to convey? What about if I just stink at it? Is this really something I can do in my elder years? After reviewing my writing and attending workshops and viewing videos produced by others who are accomplished novelist and those who write Creative Non-Fiction works. I feel I am ready to take on the literary world.

Activism is not new to me I have been one before I adopted the title. A child of the Civil Rights era attending rallies where people spoke of our right to be truly free and respected was something I did regularly. We (black people) had to stand firm on the shoulders of those who had sacrificed so much. Ms. Rosa Parks who took the brave stand she did in the heart of hate of Alabama. Just sitting in the wrong place could cause you harm or your life. She said no and just refused to move from her seat on the bus. A small frame woman who earned a living as a seamstress. Dr. King who paid the ultimate price with his life for preaching equal rights and non-violent resistance. Teaching an entire race how to fight without joining their adversaries in using violence or teaching their children to hate.

When I went to college, I learned about another injustice misogyny and its traumatic effect on generations of women before me. Now I am the one being denied the opportunity to explore the world and be what I choose to be in life. My body and mind were under attacked. The struggle continues and it is not pretty or easy.

It is my turn to stand up! My first job as a mother was to raise a son to respect me and all girls and women. Since I was a single mom for a while it was up to me to make sure he did not get tainted by toxic male masculinity and follow in the footsteps of the many misguided men he would meet in his life. Girls and women are people as he is a person. We are of the opposite gender that is all. His height and strength did not give him a crown or privilege. If anything, he had to be a warrior for me and all women. This is what is right, and he had to know it and believe it.

I must bring love to the world. Respect the rights of others and live what I say. I must walk in truth and love. This means loving me and loving others like I love me. Be ready to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Share the wisdom I have learned in my many years of life. Hold our babies with firmness and kiss them with kindness. Lead by example every day. No compromising, no half stepping and no double talk. Doing what is right when I am seen and when I am alone. I must use my talent as a writer to write about love, mercy, strength and publish stories that reflect those qualities and shine a light on how to live in the world as an advocate of all that is good.