For This Cause (Part 1)

I am passionate about a great many things. That won’t change.

I don’t think I can specifically pinpoint when I began to be an activist. There always things in my life that I was passionate about, wanted to know more about, and nothing about that was discouraged.

Reading, writing, asking questions always celebrated in my family. So, activism I think is an offshoot of being able to explore the world, even with the freedom to see what’s wrong with it.

The first cause I remember begin passionate about was AIDS research. Being born in 1981, I have never known a world that did not have crack or AIDS in it! The one thing that got me so passionate about this research was Ryan White.

What I thought was if I can find a cause that I can give my talents to, I’ll do that and do it full force! AIDS research is still one of my passions I add my light heat and smoke to!

And even in creating this space, my main concern was to make invisible to the world visible. One of my jobs as a writer, as a protector of the space, is to do just that: put light on things that need it, my heat behind what I believe in, and my smoke to all those who did who dare tell me my experience is irrelevant!

For this cause, I am the Ideal Firestarter. Meaning that if it won’t be me to bring light to a thing, who else will? The mighty bell hooks said that no woman has ever written enough. And I am inclined to believe her. It is through with my pen, in this space, that I continue to bring light to things that need it.

I think I’ve always been an activist. Being a Black woman, you have to be!

We fight because we can’t afford to die.