I want to start by saying thank you for being here. Not just for reading this in front of your computer or phone right now but for being on this planet. Thank you for choosing to wake up everyday to show up for yourself and for your loved ones. It was a choice for you to face another day this morning and I want to say thank you for making that choice. The world and I are better because of it.
This newsletter was birthed out of a place of deep chaos for me. I recently went through one of the roughest emotional terrains I have ever experienced. While the constant unnecessary and flippant disposable of black bodies by police is unfortunately nothing new, with the backdrop of the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd hit differently. His death brought up deep seeds of anger, pain, and grief in me that I had locked away in a box and tried to hide from since the last time this happened. The unearthing of these buried, compounded emotions was extremely painful and the act caused me to turn inward and move into a deeper state of inquiry. I questioned (and continue to question) myself, my relationships, and how I show up in the world.
Through this reflection, I determined that enough was enough. I had to show up in the world differently- bigger, louder, brighter. The time to play small and hold on to my fear of being seen and sharing my gifts had to end. There is power in my voice, especially as a black woman. It is IMPERATIVE to not only share my voice and talents but to claim them with pride. I urge all of you reading this to do the same, if you haven't already. Your presence on this earth is VITAL. Your talents are extremely needed, especially now. In this time of finally uncovering deep wounds in our society, it is clear that how we contribute to and shine our light in the world can no longer be separate from creating social justice and change in our communities.
My form of activism is through engaging in deep self-healing, and creating various forms of art that activate people to step into introspection. My mission is also to create spaces of healing whether the space is physical, through paint on a canvas, capturing a photo of someone I love, graphic design, or written words on paper or a computer screen.
That being said, I would like to set the intention of this newsletter as not just a string of e-mails, but as a space of empowerment, deep healing, and beauty, free from judgement. Let this space grow beyond me and my musings. Let this be a space where we can come together in empowerment to expand, share ideas, be authentic, and build a deeper bond with the part of ourself that is greater than our personalities, ethnicities, skin color, career titles, familial roles, etc.
Thank you for accepting the invitation to be here, to go inward in this time of chaos, and dance with the version of yourself that is empowered, growing, and already perfect as is.
You can check out the very first edition of this newsletter HERE. In that space, I share reflections, art, and work by black women (including myself), that have helped me during this time, as well as more about the inspiration behind the creation of this space.
