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![]() ![]() “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Remember that lie?Here are a few other words that were once used to describe me: Black Teenaged Mother. Welfare Recipient. Statistic. Truth: Over one million girls become pregnant in the United States each year. In 1994, I was one of those girls.Here’s another word: Fear. The word itself can paralyze you. Now imagine being young, pregnant, black, and living in the ghetto on public assistance. If you were filling out a form for “least likely to succeed,” you could check every box. I would’ve fit the description.The entire nine months of my pregnancy was like walking through a fog. Some days it was so thick I couldn’t see a damn thing. When my son was nine months old, something clicked. And I made a decision. I decided that my choice to become a mother at the age of 19 would not define my life. I decided I was going to walk the walk. While I knew I could not change my age nor the event of giving birth to my son, I was 1000% clear that I would be not be a statistic.And this clarity showed up as a simple sentence I wrote in my journal every single day: |
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![]() Transition is not easy, and very rarely is it painless. It’s going to cost you something. It will challenge everything about you - the good, the bad, the ugly, AND the awesome. All of your stuff. It takes commitment and conviction, but what I know for a fact is with the will to succeed, and the proper guidance and support, you can absolutely win. ![]() |
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