Unmasking: A Journey to Authenticity

A few years ago, my family gathered to gather after the homegoing celebration for my grandmother. It was a bittersweet moment because while we had just lost the matriarch and the helm of our family, we were gathered together in support of each other. I remember that my cousin asked me if I would take her 7 year old daughter home and I agreed. It was a late night and I jokingly told the 7 year old that I should call her an uber. She turns to me in all seriousness and said, I am just a kid. That may have been the funniest thing because this baby probably thought it was insane that she had to tell a grown up that she was too young to be in an uber by herself. But she said something to me that shook me to my core. In her sweetest little voice, she tells me, " I am afraid of this world." Back then, the only thing that I could think of, was how do I protect this little girl and assure her that she was safe. I was rendered speechless, and as I type this, my hands shake, because I am afraid too, little girl. What could this grown woman, who needed to be reminded that she cannot put a 7 year old in an uber, say to make this baby feel safe?

On Sunday, I learned of the beautiful soul, Sonya Massey. The mother, the daughter, the sister, the neighbor, the scared citizen. When I heard her story, I screamed and cried for her, imagining what she must of felt in those final moments. As an empath or any person with compassion, that is what we do. But it was deeper than that, this guttural response came from a place of fear that was hidden deep, in efforts not to face truths. It could have easily been me.