"Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them." - William Shakespeare. You are GREAT! No matter what aspersions have been cast upon you by either yourself or by others, you were born for GREATNESS. Greatness is within you, Woman. It is true. Deep within every woman alive is the seed of the awareness of her queenhood. In her soul, every woman knows that she is infinitely more than the prime cuts of meat that popular culture attempts to dissect females into. I know this because I live this.
As a child, I was never accepted. I was called ugly, useless, "black," and stupid. I was the offspring of a domestically violent household. My mother eventually escaped with my siblings and me to live on welfare and government cheese in Detroit City. By 15, my virginity was stolen from me by a 24-year-old child rapist. By 16, I was drinking and trying to forget myself. By 17, I was suicidal. By the age of 18, wounded by a difficult childhood and troubled teenage years, I got pregnant with the first of my three children. I was a mess... yet there was GREATNESS within that mess. GREATNESS is within you too.
In order to be useful to you, I had to go through a process. This process was very painful. In this process, I might have perished. It continues. This process is more commonly known as "life." My demise, however, though supported by this world, was not sanctioned by the Universe. By God, I am still here. You could have died before reaching and reading these words, yet you are still here. We are here! We have arrived in this moment for a reason and with a divine Purpose.
"When you learn... Teach. When you get... Give." - Maya Angelou, Our Grandmothers
When I was just a little brown baby girl hiding and cringing in the closet listening to my mama being beaten, GREATNESS was within me. When I was just a skinny little 15-year-old Black girl in Detroit City being physically threatened, emotionally annihilated, and spiritually devastated, GREATNESS was within me. I was a Queen, but I did not know it yet. When I wallowed in despair weeping as a young adult in the wake of self-destruction and negativity, GREATNESS was within me but I did not know it yet. When I cried alone as a poverty-stricken unwed teenage mother, GREATNESS was within me but I did not know it yet. As I bore the weight of being a divorced single parent of three children thumbing through my food stamps, GREATNESS was within me but I did not know it yet. While lying up under benighted males in search of love and validation as a lost woman, GREATNESS was within me but I did not know it yet. As I walked across the stage to collect my BA then my MA degrees, thinking that they were legitimizing me, true GREATNESS was within me, I thought I knew but I did not know true GREATNESS yet. God knew it though. My Purpose is to proclaim the Creator's gift of GREATNESS within YOU as I reveal it within myself.
"No one, no, nor no one million ones dare deny me God, I go forth alone, and stand as ten thousand." - Maya Angelou, Our Grandmothers
I have suffered. You have suffered. Women have suffered uniquely in patriarchal society. With women of color, the double whammy of simultaneous sexism and racism can be particularly devastating. Let us consider the resultant GREATNESS of women who have gone through great trials and lessons. Everyone who has achieved any substantive modicum of greatness has suffered in one way or another. Our pain makes us human. Overcoming our suffering through perseverance, grace, wisdom, and determination exemplifies triumph over adversity. This is how we tap into the inexhaustible Source. Our suffering becomes our strength. This strength is our gift from the Creator to the rest of the world.
"... All my life I have always known I was born to greatness." - Oprah Winfrey
It's time to reclaim your rightful inheritance. Ascend the throne, beloved daughter of the most high God. Your prison is an illusion. Your smallness is a lie. God sent you here directly from Heaven. Woman, thou art loosed. Woman, thou art beautiful. Woman, thou art loved. Woman, thou art powerful. Woman, thou art safe. Woman, thou art successful. Woman, thou art free...
These statistics highlight the ongoing progress and potential of women in various spheres of life. Despite the challenges, women continue to rise and make significant contributions to society.
Your greatness is not defined by your past or the challenges you have faced. It is an inherent part of who you are. Embrace it, nurture it, and let it shine. Woman, thou art GREAT!
