I would like to first start out by saying thank you for this wonderful project and for bringing to light the adversities and disparities beautiful brown bold women face and deal with day to day in the Pittsburgh region and thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share why I believe why I was chosen to be one of Pittsburgh's Beautiful Brown Women. Lack of education and opportunities plays a big part in why we are under paid, and underrepresented. These disparities leaves us vulnerable to poverty and its implications. It's a constant fight to be heard, to be seen and to be taken serious in a region that is as segregated as Western PA. To have the feeling of being a prisoner in a region and world that does not seem to want to set us free or allow us to advance to our full potential is disheartening to say the least. As a beautiful brown bold women and many like me we are forced to live in a world that does not treat us as equals and does not see us as equals. We have to work ten times harder than anyone else, and even then we tend to still only break the surface. Why do we continue to remain at the bottom of the totem pole, and how do we continue the fight to make strides towards equality? Sadly, we continue to be portrayed as welfare mothers who have a lot of children out of wed lock. I actually had a co-worker ask me was my children's father in their lives. Wearing two faces can be taxing most days.
Like a lot of beautiful brown bold women whom I'm sure share the same or similar story, I fell in love, we had a baby and he left us both, he left us, penniless, homeless, hopeless and he left me broken. My story does not start and stop there, nor is it unique, yet it is one of many struggles I overcame. This part of my life as with many other parts could have had different endings if not for the stubbornness in my soul and the will to go on. I struggled for several years to find and gain back my self-worth, but one day I said I did not want to continue to look like the hell that I had been through and I had two sons who needed their mom. I moved back to Pittsburgh with no car, no money, and no job, and with a broken spirit, but I have a wonderful support system here now who have been very instrumental in helping me to rebuild my life, my strength and helped me to gain back my self-worth. I'm a single mother whom after much thought as well as being over looked and dismissed in the work place, I decided I no longer wanted to be made to feel disposable so I made the decision to finish a bachelor's degree that I embarked on several years ago. I decided as well to enter into a profession that is male dominated, (not to prove anything, I simply love technology) Computer Systems Technology. It may take me 2 years to complete this degree, and it will be challenging to find that work life balance, however, I won't let it beat me. I work in an environment that simply lacks diversity and on any given day I may be the only beautiful brown bold woman in my particular building. I've sat in on meetings where not only was I the only beautiful brown bold woman, but also the only woman, and have been made to feel as though I dare not speak up, or even offer an opinion or suggestion. People have asked me why am I going back to school and how long will it take me, it was startling to me that people were more interested in how long rather than wishing me well and simply being happy that I decided to make this journey, not only to better myself, but to better the lives of my children. I also said to myself that I never again want to be in professional environment where I'm looked upon as disposable due to lack of experience and/or education.
As a beautiful brown bold woman, I allow God to guide my steps every day, I fear nothing and love challenges. I take God, my life, my family and my health very serious. Last year, I was asked was I interested in running as part of a relay team for the Pittsburgh Marathon last May, I haven't been a runner since high school, however I believed in myself and accepted the challenge and ran in my first marathon in May 2015. I never thought that at 46 that I would be running in marathons. If you believe you can do it, you can! I believe in the saying that our health is our wealth, with that said, I work out daily and try my best to encourage and inspire other Beautiful Brown women to love themselves enough to take care of their minds, bodies and spirits and to find their BOLDNESS.
I believe that my story, my experience, mirrors both younger and older beautiful brown bold women in our region and I am honored to have been selected as one of the Beautiful Brown Bold Women. I will continue to strive to bring resolve, hope, guidance and inspiration to beautiful brown bold women who will come before me, who too will face and overcome some of the same adversities and disparities that I too have faced and overcome. I want to encourage all beautiful brown bold women to stand up, demand to be heard, and respected with dignity.
