it has taken me a couple of days to respond to this. I have reread and reread. It is so simple and so deadly in its aim. I grew up in the Jim Crow South. I saw this daily. The woman who fed me, clothed me, cleaned me up, comforted me, was treated like a minor idiot by my birth mother, who was an alcoholic no longer capable of performing even those simple, loving acts. I grew up to old age in a society that treats women this way all day every day. And so many of us don't even notice. Thank you, Heshima, for your window into Truth. The truth of how difficult it is to be human.
it has taken me a couple of days to respond to this. I have reread and reread. It is so simple and so deadly in its aim. I grew up in the Jim Crow South. I saw this daily. The woman who fed me, clothed me, cleaned me up, comforted me, was treated like a minor idiot by my birth mother, who was an alcoholic no longer capable of performing even those simple, loving acts. I grew up to old age in a society that treats women this way all day every day. And so many of us don't even notice. Thank you, Heshima, for your window into Truth. The truth of how difficult it is to be human.
I feel your pain. 💔 Thank you for your clarity. We have to be and do better.
I'm glad you're capturing these moments and sharing them. Sometimes, it's hard to imagine how brutal people can be.
Wow. The directness of this piece just floored me.