I was raised by strong women who worked hard and conditioned me to believe that failure was never an option, so I never thought I’d end up in the situation that I did.

Despite all the red flags that began popping up throughout my marriage, I stayed. After all, he sold me on a dream of forever, filled with protection, honor and validation.  So, I chose to hold on to the few moments where everything was great and ignore that the majority of it wasn’t.

Things hit a breaking point right before Thanksgiving when I was locked out of my house in the freezing cold with my three children. A fire was lit in my soul as I vowed that I wouldn’t let this continue any longer.  I reframed my understanding of “forever,” and decided I was not going to settle and continue hoping that he would change; by now, I knew he wouldn’t.

I was finally ready to let go of all the expectations I had about what my life should look like. Not every child growing up “in the hood” would have what the fictional TV family “the Cosby’s” had, and I was starting to realize, that was okay. I was ready to build a life for myself and my family that I was proud of, even if that meant walking away from a ten year marriage—because by doing so, I was walking into my destiny. 

As I was trying to complete my Associate’s Degree during the most unpredictable time of my life, I didn’t know how I would feed my children or fix my car that kept breaking down. Basic necessities had become a financial burden I didn’t know how I would recover from.  But that fire inside my soul was still lit, I was resilient and knew that God’s power would keep me going.

I was determined for all the young girls growing up in a world that tells them who they can and cannot be. I would join the voices of the strong women I grew up with telling girls and women that they are smart, and strong, and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. I was determined for all the women who were still wearing a mask and were ready to remove it and share their stories.

That’s when my vision for Her Temple Monologues was born. I embarked on a journey that blended my love of poetry with my passion for advocacy. Her Temple Monologues became the outlet that I needed to enrich my life and created a safe space for others to share their truth without fear of judgement. So, I speak out, and I continue fighting, because we deserve to live in a world free from domestic violence.

To get help for you or someone you care about who is affected by domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or contact Unity House’s 24-Hour Domestic Violence Hotline for local support and assistance at 518-272-2370.