Jessica

“Freedom that is gained at another person’s expense isn’t freedom; it is just diverted oppression. A lot of people who say they want freedom really just want to cosplay as oppressors by excluding and harming the people they believe are beneath them. We don’t get free by lording our power over others. Freedom is a collective endeavor that requires us to imagine a different world than the one we presently inhabit. As we imagine freedom, it is critical that we imagine freedom for all people.”
― Ally Henny, I Won't Shut Up: Finding Your Voice When the World Tries to Silence You

“All the things I want you to do? Figure out what you want in life. Find your own path. Make mistakes but actually learn from them. Leave behind what doesn’t bring you joy, what you’ve outgrown. I wasn’t doing any of it when I was married to your dad.” She was still circling the couch. “I thought I was staying in the marriage for you—so you didn’t have to go through your parents divorcing. But, in the end, I left it for you. Because how could I raise you to do all those things when I wasn’t doing them myself?”
― Meryl Wilsner, Mistakes Were Made

“This is the essence of liberation: being seen in the fullness of who you are and being free to love and express yourself in a way that brings light and life to others.”
― Ally Henny, I Won't Shut Up: Finding Your Voice When the World Tries to Silence You

“Perhaps, Black freedom requires us to live in the holy tension of “now and not yet.” In the “now,” we learn to love ourselves and one another so deeply that our presence with one another creates havens of respite where we can exhale. In the “not yet,” we continue seeking justice and refuse to shut up until we have attained the full measure of freedom that is our right and entitlement as citizens of a supposedly “free” nation. By embracing the “now and not yet” tension of our freedom, we acknowledge the vast amount of work that is left to do while also being gentle with ourselves and carving out sacred space for gratitude and joy in the midst of the struggle.”
― Ally Henny, I Won't Shut Up: Finding Your Voice When the World Tries to Silence You