Akiko

“To them I was first a Black, then a Black from another country, and then a person.”
― Maria Nhambu, America's Daughter

“Only pay attention to your own silence, nothing around you exists. And then, listen.”
― Marie Montine, Mourning Grey: Part Two

“Your own setbacks aren’t what they first appear to be; rather than viewing them as failures, view them as learning opportunities that are the building blocks for future preparation.”
― Steve Pemberton, The Lighthouse Effect: How Ordinary People Can Have an Extraordinary Impact in the World

“Yet, all armor—from a lobster’s shell to a Navy SEAL’s
flak jacket—ultimately reveals the same truth. All armor highlights
vulnerability. It trumpets the fact that below that hard exterior lies
an interior that is soft, fragile, and in need of protection.”
― J.K. Franko, Eye for Eye