Black like me White like me

"If her own mother doesn't want her, why would I?"

This conversation took place between two nurses in the delivery room right aft er I was born to a 16-year old unmarried mother. This was a precursor of the kind of struggle my life would be unti l I stood up and shouted, "I AM SOMEBODY!" Why did it take me so long

I don't want you to think I am harping on the bad things that happened in my life. Despite everything, I am an incredibly positi ve person, who has taken a licking and kept right on ti cking! My saving grace is mentoring, and standing up for those who just need someone to stand up for them. Maybe one of these days, I will be more able to stand up for myself. I'm getti ng there. This is just my life, honey, simply the way it is. I am telling you my story. This is a story about success, and giving back to a community that mostly kicked me in the teeth.