Jessica

“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

“I am very tenderhearted and struggle with the idea of people being angry with or misunderstanding me. Setting boundaries is how I protect myself from being taken advantage of, apologizing for things that I don’t need to apologize for, or remaining in (or reentering) toxic spaces with people who care more about their own sense of dominance than healing. I will accept any genuine attempt toward reconciliation and healing, but the door becomes locked to anyone who feels the need to dump their feelings on me instead of approaching me like a human being. We don’t have to agree, but I refuse to be treated like an object.”
― Ally Henny, I Won't Shut Up: Finding Your Voice When the World Tries to Silence You

“The losses that I have experienced on this journey of finding my voice have been just as instructive to me as the books I’ve read, the seminars I’ve attended, and any other means of knowledge acquisition I’ve engaged in. The difficult road I traveled has led me exactly where I needed to be exactly when I needed to be there. I don’t know if I will ever stop grieving certain losses, but I do know that those losses and their accompanying grief are tools I have used to stage my own liberation. You can use the ashes you hold from your grief to paint a beautiful picture of life and liberation.”
― Ally Henny, I Won't Shut Up: Finding Your Voice When the World Tries to Silence You

“In the advocacy circles I run in, we talk a lot about going where you’re celebrated and not merely tolerated. We talk a lot about identifying and leaving places where you are unable to flourish. We talk about divesting from unjust systems, decentering whiteness, and decolonizing our minds. I don’t think we talk enough about the losses that come with doing those things.”
― Ally Henny, I Won't Shut Up: Finding Your Voice When the World Tries to Silence You