2021.
a year that felt like it was never ending, but here we are at the finish line.
you saw right through me.
taught me lessons that i refused to want to learn.
you ever sit in a room with lots of people and feel like the only one there?
pondering on your own thoughts hoping no one can tell.
scared of what people might think but unable to hide anymore.
trying to mask your emotions but them seeping through every crack.
the feeling.
the feeling of being lost, lost from betrayal of those who you once called loved ones.
letting go of those who were closest to you.
them taking you apart one by one.
taking every memory with them, that you thought would last forever.
but now you long for.
to watch the time past feeling powerless,
stuck in an endless cycle of nothingness.
trying to pick yourself up, but in the midst of doing so breaking yourself down every step of the way.
wishing time would stop, but time waits for no one.
having no one to turn to because the ones that understand you don’t.
trying to put a smile on your face everyday to please the masses, but when exhaust takes over your body it’s hard to wash it away.
like a hard pill to swallow, you hesitate before doing so.
then finally you do it.
you accept the fact that you have to push through and face what you have been running from.
then it works.
it takes the pain away, but only temporarily.
until it comes back, back again.
the motions.
going through the minutiae of life with no desire to continue, but you do.
because you realize at the end of every tunnel there’s light.
Tag Archives: video
Fellas, Y’all Alright?: Young Black Men Expose Their Truths [VIDEO]
VOX ATL’s Daya Brown opens the floor for Black Atlanta-area teen men to open up and share some of their stories about racism, toxic masculinity and homophobia.
Dear Hidden Girl EP. 5: “Continue to Resist”
Dear Hidden Girl episode five calls for young girls everywhere to own their power and stand up for who they are.
Let Me Talk Please EP. 2: The Growth of Ashli Clark [VIDEO]
When you think of the word father, what do you think? Does that word transport you to a place in your life that you would rather forget? Or when you think of this word, do you think of a man who has molded you into becoming the person you were designated to be?
This is Ashli Clark, and this is her story as she takes us on a ride of understanding the power of a mother’s love as well as becoming the person who she wants to be. A lot of us have various stories when it comes down to talking about our family structures. Some may seem perfect, but others might be considered as our worst nightmare. However, the roles of a mother and a father hold different impacts. At times, the father can take both positions. Although, being a single mother in this society is real.
Ashli Clark looks at her mother as magic. When she looks back at her mother, she sees the power, and that inspires
her every day. Ashli walks us through her journey and reflects on moving from Atlanta to New York and how her mother was so strong to provide in all aspects of her life. This story holds the significance of how a woman is an almighty superwoman.
This is the growth of Ashli Clark.
WATCH: Let Me Talk Please Episode One: The Impact of Departure
Dear Hidden Girl EP. 3: “Body” [VIDEO]
Dear Hidden Girl…
Did you know you have a body? We all do. No matter what it looks like, how it functions or how
we may view it, we all have one. Did you know your body tries it’s absolute hardest to carry you
in this world?
Hidden girl do you know what body autonomy is? It’s your right to your body, to govern your
body, just like your voice.
You have the right to explore your body, to learn and examine your body, to know your body.
Your body deserves to be taken care of, you deserve it.
Your body has value and worth and that does not change because you or someone else can’t
seem to find it that way.
Your body has the right to be respected and treated with care and kindness no matter how it
looks or functions.
You deserve to let go of beauty standards, let your body be free of that harm.
Beauty isn’t one dimensional, neither are humans.
You have the right to be at terms with your body, to like your body…even to love your body. I
know that for some of us that can seem unattainable, but it’s not. We can take it one step at a
time.
So let’s take a step, breathe with me, I want you to say this to your body right now..
“I am grateful for you, thank you for all your hard work”
Good job! You took a step, I’m proud of you.
Oh and p.s. treat yourself with kindness and remember you are human also go drink some
water.
“Dear Hidden Girl” EP. 1 [VIDEO]
“Dear Hidden Girl” is a video series dedicated to anyone who identifies as a teen girl, a collection of “letters” that we will be opening together consisting of spoken word, poetry, visual arts and whatever else may come our way.
“Hidden Girl” is both me and you, who are both on their own paths of self discovery, finding ourselves and understanding the world around us. She represents our truest self.
In this series my goal is to empower and acknowledge all teen girls, and share reflections of myself and my experiences in the world. As the series progresses I hope to learn more about myself and you as well. Understanding that we are alike and different. Sharing our complexity and simplicity.
With that said I hope you are willing to join me to discovering and acknowledging the beautifully complex layered person that is “hidden girl.”