reflections on the journey..
through the process of loving ree entirely.. i am learning to embrace every aspect of my being.. from the emotional& spiritual to the physical& intellectual.. i bask in the memory of how far i have come& remain open to every lesson yet to be learned.. my most life changing epiphany? realizing that everything i need to succeed lies within me.. i was intentionally designed for a specific purpose& my creator made no mistakes.. therefore, my life long task is to tap into my destiny& share that with the world.. to remain true to my internal grounding.. &to fall in love with a little bit of everything along the way..
past..
at age thirteen, i discovered that my story could change people.. it began with the possibility of sharing my journey of overcoming sexual abuse through spoken word.. a non profit organization entitled peace& love provided my first opportunity to express myself for a cause.. their mission was to use artistic expression to combat violence.. it was through their platform that i found my life's mission.. i began writing to survive.. i realized audiences listened to heal.. people told me my words gave people hope.. &their belief in me was the motivation i needed to recognize my full potential..
present..
at this moment in my life.. i acknowledge myself as a multifaceted individual whose story is not limited to pain nor defined by perceived success.. i am a combination of all my experiences in totality.. i am currently growing into self definition as a poet/scholar/activist.. determined to use my knowledge as a tool for personal liberation& the collective freedom of my community.. as a sociology &anthropology major at spelman college, i was forced to understand my unique perspective on the world as a black woman.. as an ma student of african american studies at ucla, i learned the grave need for black women's healing.. as a current phd student at uc berkeley, i embrace my inner creative& use my art to shed light on the delight of black womanhood.. &as a human in this universe who continues to live and love, i immerse myself in mother earth's treasures &embrace all she has to offer.. after traveling to over ten countries &thirty states, i find the best lessons are not limited to the classroom.. exploring the world forces me to exist within new realms &expand my horizons.. i learn to incorporate all of me in all i do.. to not hide aspects of my identity for other people's pleasure.. but to be proud of all that i am, holistically..
future..
living out my destiny, &the rest is still unwritten..
