When I first heard Maya Angelou speak I was captivated by her strength and openness to talk about her life as a Black woman. Yet she spent six years of her life in silence.
How many of us within the Black community are living in silence? Keeping secrets
that don’t need to be kept, worries that don’t need to be suffered alone, and fears that can paralyze us. How many of us in our silence don’t get the love, support, compassion, and help that we need to heal?
Imagine how much darker the world would be without Dr. Angelou’s courage to speak and shout her story. Silence prevents us from healing and it also prevents us from healing others. We have been touched, validated, and encouraged because Dr. Angelou broke her silence and shared her pain and her healing.
What are we withholding from ourselves and others when we don’t share our own struggles and stories? Let’s learn from Maya Angelou’s example of her using her strong, loud, and powerful voice to bring healing to ourselves and our community.
What would you say if you broke your silence?