“Queen”

So why are my new designed Queen T’s important to me?

Queen let you light shine and you do not need to apologize.

My new queen T-Shirts remind me of the journey I have been on as a woman and mother. The journey is never easy and many will never see the roads you had to travel on to get to where you want in life. I also know from my experiences, that we don’t always understand everything we had to and have to go through. That’s why it was important for me to find my “why”.

Life is about learning. I strongly believe that learning happens daily. We receive what the universe wants to teach us, only if we are open to receiving. I know from my personal experiences that going through situations are not always easy. I also know that there are many things we have to go through in life, and we can come out victorious. What’s more important than coming out victorious is what we have learned from a particular situation or experience. Let me remove the filter. What have I learned after separation? What have I learned from my experience of being a single mother? What is next? What did I learn when I was a Black youth labeled as an at-risk youth growing up in priority communities in Toronto? I was labeled and at-risk youth living in the inner-city, in neighborhoods tattooed by crime and violence. As a teen, I did not care for the label, nor did it bother me, until I went to college and started to learn about at-risk youth. In college, I was learning how to support at-risk children and youth in the Early Childhood Education Program. Apparently, I was fortunate that I even made it to college but as a child, I always wanted to attend college and university. As a teenager of course, like many teenagers, you sometimes get distracted. I got a distracted but my goal to attend college and university never left me. My mother drilled higher education in my schema from a young age.

In college, everything, I learned intrigued and piqued my interest, I wanted to absorb more information and learn. That is how I knew I had signed up for the right college program. While in college, I was never bored and always passionate to learn about children, youth and families. I was always learning, which allowed me to further develop. I learned that a label is just a label. It does not define your life. It does not mean that one day, you will not be able to peel that label off. I was able to peel the label “at-risk” off my life by accessing resources that could help me and having mentors, that helped me to become successful. As I mention the word successful, I want to make it clear, that in my view, success looks differently for everyone. For some people based on their circumstances, success is getting in college and graduating with a diploma, or university degree. That is okay, because success for each of us is different. So, I never try to define what success looks like for others. I know my perception of success is different, especially noting I was labeled an at-risk youth. Where I am today is only through the grace of God and the many people that rallied around me to support me, which sometimes, I had to seek out those persons. What I can tell you, from my experiences, is never allow other people’s opinions of you to determine who you should be. Never allow society to label you, where you give up your dreams and goals. Never allow others to tell you that you are not good enough or that you cannot achieve something. What you can be and want to achieve is in your control, you have to find a way to make it happen. It does not mean the way will be easy. It will not be easy, but I believe in possibilities.

Now that I have shared that I was an at-risk youth, you are probably wondering what relevance does my Queen T’s have? Well, the Queen T’s remind me that queens travel on journey’s too. Our journey’s can sometimes break us, or they can build us to be stronger and better. I have gone through many journey’s, like many other people. At times, some of the difficult situations allowed me to doubt my own ability. Yet, I could not give up. I found my why, my son. Each person, must find their own why and hold on to their “why”. Going through our journey’s is not always easy but to overcome, we have to go through them. It wasn’t easy to go to university as a single mother, on one income, but I had to do it, again because my “why”, was my son. I saw the long term benefits of completing university. As I wear my Queen T-shirt, I am reminded of my journey, strength, resilience, perseverance, and the ability to overcome. Again, I am not saying anything I have been through was easy. It was not. I dedicate this peace to all women. You are a queen. As you reflect on your own life and journey’s, you have to find your “why” to motivate you and keep going. Regardless of what you are going through or have been through, I want you to know that you are a Queen. Do not quit. Keep on going and when you get through and you are able to, build another Queen by encouraging her. Queens hold each other up. Queens are not afraid to share that things are not always perfect. Queens are not perfect, because none of us are. Queens speak up when they need help. Being strong is asking for help. Queens understand that everyone grows at their own pace. Queens are non-judgmental. Queens walk in love. They get back up when they fall. Remember you are a Queen. Wear your crown. Share your glow.

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