As a preteen growing up on Detroit’s east side, I used to say I was “one demerit away from being written off” by society. Luckily, my English teacher, Ms. Liggins at Whitney Young Middle School, chose to believe in me.
She didn’t erase the consequences of my actions but rather showed me how to be accountable for them and believe in myself and my future. Earning my teacher’s trust planted a seed that stays with me today: The most effective leaders believe that the future can be bright, especially when the lights are dim.
Since middle school, and every day after, my life has been shaped by experiences that tested my values and beliefs. As an emerging adult, I watched my mother receive chemotherapy in a starkly class-stratified hospital, where Medicaid patients like her were treated in a sparse, clinical room while those with private insurance received care in a warmer, more therapeutic setting just down the hall. I experienced Scud missiles launched across enemy lines during Operation Desert Storm. I had the privilege of living and studying in South Africa as the fight for democracy prevailed against apartheid. I’ve spent time leading community-based organizations and as an administrator in the public child welfare system.
And in each of these settings, I’ve seen the power and resolve of families’ self-determination rise above policies and politics that worked against them.
Each of these moments strengthened the roots of my childhood belief: In times of uncertainty, the promise of a brighter future can become a brilliant North Star.
Read more of this article in The Imprint, linked here.
