I’m a lover of books, pens, paper, and written words. For as long as I can remember, I have loved to read. As a young girl, I rarely went anywhere without a book in my hand. Books accompanied me to school, track meets, family vacations, and time alone with friends. Books were my companions as I snuggled under comforters or when my feet were in the warm South Carolina sand.
Everyone noticed this great love, and they encouraged more reading, learning, and exploration still. I don’t know what it’s like to grow up in a place where girls are not expected to learn, grow, or thrive simply because they are girls. But I do know that as an African American girl from a small town, education has been a great equalizer in my life.
Malala is Made in God’s Image
God’s grace and hand in my attending the United States Naval Academy is the reason I have lived my adult life in the middle class, have had the privilege of choosing jobs and switching careers, owning a home, buying a car, and dreaming about a better way ahead for me, the community and causes I serve, and mostly certainly for my daughter (my girl)!
I don’t recall when I first became aware of Malala’s story. I think it was around the time that I began watching documentaries about Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s National Bestseller, Half the Sky: Turning Oppressions into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. God began speaking to my heart about womanhood, his Word to women, and the global violence against girls and women. I wanted to be very clear with the use of my voice, words, ministry, and service opportunities that God cares very deeply about women, and women too are made in the image of God.
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A SISTA'S JOURNEY 