“I haven’t lost a job or called the n-word because of the color of my skin. I haven’t had to work harder and prove myself as a person AND because of the color of my skin. I’ve known what it’s like to lose a job, be broke, and have zero in my bank account. But I still have white privilege.”
‘I can find my foundation skin tone because of white privilege. I can exist without fear of getting shot. That is white privilege’: Woman says ‘none of my struggles are because of the color of my skin’
‘He said she got in her vehicle and got on her phone and pulled off to an area near the gas station. Within minutes police cars pulled in and surrounded him.’: Woman recounts husband’s experience with racism ‘He came home a changed man. I am a changed woman’
“My husband wanted to do me a favor one night when he got home late from work. While there, an older white woman was at a pump across from him and he noticed she appeared very nervous and stared at him. He was told he fit a description. They asked whose car he was driving. He was told he could not leave. He was told the description was simply a black man. He came home a changed man.”
‘I noticed a young black boy walking into our yard. Something was strange. Then, I realized he had his hands up.’: Man urges ‘we need to do better’ after heartbreaking encounter with boy
“We were sitting here having lunch when his ball had rolled into our yard. He looked nervous. He walked so slowly, looking straight ahead. Then I realized he had his hands up.”
‘Your birth daughter would like to meet you.’ I stood in disbelief. I was terrified she wouldn’t love me.’: Woman overcomes fear, ‘I wasted too many sleepless nights’
“There was the answer I had been praying for. ‘Is this Raquel?’ It left me frozen.”
‘I still reach for him in bed. I still think I hear him coming in from work. I have to force myself to live.’: Widow suffering from PTSD says, ‘I can hear him telling me to get back up and fight’
“My anxiety hit a fever pitch. Yesterday, my child was happily climbing on rocks and pretending to be a cat with her friend by the water. I couldn’t shake the feeling something bad was going to happen. I was shaking out of my skin.”
‘I walked right into CVS with my mouth completely uncovered. I forgot to pull the cotton over my nose!’: Woman urges ‘be gentle, there is no right or wrong response’ during pandemic
“Panic and discomfort took over. ‘What are people thinking of me? OMG, are they going to kick me out? Arrest me?’ This new normal doesn’t feel normal at all.”
‘I wonder what she would have thought of all the hoarding. That’s not how they did it back then. She made reusing aluminum foil fun.’: Woman worries about her generation, ‘We have a bold task ahead’
“I can remember my grandmother’s engaging and sometimes horrific stories of sacrifice. She could cook big feed the masses until all of our buttons burst. And she did this with a very limited fixed income. No part of a chicken roast was ever wasted.”
‘It’s not that bad, be grateful.’ Our pregnancies can’t be rescheduled. These are memories we will never get back.’: Expecting mom says ‘none of us asked for this, but we will all come out of this stronger’
“This is not the time to ‘suck it up.’ This is the time to own every feeling of weakness and uncertainty we have, and move forward in spite of it… together.”
‘I’m going to tell him to stop.’ Our son said the words I dreaded. I prayed he would sleep through this.’: After divorcing alcoholic husband, woman says ‘I have hope for love and happiness on my own terms’
“I heard him say, ‘Wake up mother f**kers, it’s time to clean.’ I knew this was bad. Then, I heard a loud bang. Then, another bang. I could hear him, soundly mildly amused. Suddenly, I felt I was being stared at.”
‘That could be us,’ I whisper. This time it was a young family guy. I look at him and see my husband, the father of my kids staring back at me.’: Woman with anxiety during pandemic says ‘today I’m making the choice to focus on what I can control’
“Scrolling through my feed, there’s another story. Phrases like ‘young’ and ‘picture of health’ are preceded by a date of death. My stomach drops to remind me that this photo was taken ‘just days before.’ I look at him and I see my husband, and the father of my children staring back at me.”
