Letters to our Daughters: I second-guessed my abilities
Dear Girls, I am the awesome creation of God called by the name Solina Ray Arrington Richards. It is important that you know my entire name because each name represents a part of who I am. Solina is a person who loves life, exploring new things and places, and is a perpetual student. She is calm, reserved and given to listening. She is a mother of two adult children, and grandmother of 3 granddaughters by birth and 2 other grandchildren through grace. She is loyal and a dedi
Letters to our Daughters: I overcame an inability to forgive my father
Dear Girls, I have overcome an inability to forgive. When I was very young, I was exposed to my mother being physically abused by my father. Even while she was pregnant with my younger brother, my father was not able to restrain himself from torturing the family. For obvious reasons, they divorced before I was 5 yo and I grew up resenting him for a number of reasons - the abuse, being absent and I also blamed him for my younger brother's birth defects and ultimate death (m
Letters to our Daughters: It's OK to say 'no'
Dear Girls, My name is Letonia Farr Page. I am a mother, a wife, an author and a certified relationship coach. Growing up I was always the shy, timid, reserved one. I was afraid to say no. I compromised a lot and I was a people pleaser. People knew they could ask me for something and I would give it. I was well-liked but because I would never say “no” I learned not to deal with conflict well. I had created a pattern of putting others’ needs and wants first because I was afrai
Letters to our Daughters: In 12th grade I started dating a known drug dealer
Dear Beautiful Queens,
I am writing this letter to you in hopes to empower, encourage, motivate and inspire you through a piece of my story.
As a young girl I lived a pretty good life. I was very spoiled by my mom, not wanting for anything. I knew my dad but he was not active in my life. Growing up spoiled may sound like a great thing but in all actuality it crippled me and pushed me into a lifestyle that would later be very detrimental for me.
See me being spoiled by m
Letters to Our Daughters: Independence and Intelligence--a Power Combination
Dear Girls, My name is Michelle’ Sturgis, a wife, mother, aunt, sister, Professor, Role Model, and aspiring author and entrepreneur. These are just a few roles that I hold dear to my heart, “MOTHER”, being number one. If you are wondering why I chose “Mother”, is because when I took on this role, I became responsible for guiding several little person’s lives to assist them in being a productive citizen in our society. Knowing that YOU are responsible is like caring the wei
Letters to our Daughters: Why don't I look like her?
Dear Daughters, I pray this correspondence finds you healthy and strong! There seems to be a need for me to share with you some challenges that I’ve had to overcome to get to this point in my life. As you read, please know that I write this with love and pray that you will learn a great deal from such a small passage. My background is as diverse as can be! From working in the tobacco fields of North Carolina to working in the fields of Corporate America, my experiences are a
Letters to our Daughters: I never stopped
Dear Girls, My name is Sevrine Banks and I retired from the Army after 20 years of service as a medic. I joined the military and couldn't do the one pushup to attend basic training, therefore I was sent to a fitness training unit, where all we did was workout all day to be able to do 6 pushups after the 3 weeks was up. I graduated from that doing 21 pushups! Bottom line, when you put your heart into something you will succeed. Make a plan, write your goals down and constantly
Letters to our Daughters: Make yourself ready to accomplish more than you ever thought possible
Dear Girls, I am honored to be asked to participate and to let you know who I am, what I have overcome and any "wisdom" I have to share. My name is Christine Orsak. When I was eleven years old and was visiting with my favorite aunt, she asked me who I was. What? She knew perfectly well I was her niece, Christine. I am now 68 years old and think I know the answer to that question but it took a long and winding road to get here. Early in my life my father who was an immigrant c
Letters to our Daughters: Stand your ground and don't let go
Dear Girls, My name is Isra Girgrah Wynn. I am a retired 5-time professional world boxing champion and hall of fame inductee. I am also a mother, a wife, an entrepreneur, an author, a fitness coach and a nutrition consultant. I have overcome many obstacles in my lifetime. I come from a strict family heritage that doesn’t allow women in the culture to have a say or a career. I stood my ground and believed in me, what I wanted and I didn’t let go. In the sport of boxing (which
Letters to Our Daughters: Because I know you are watching the messages the world is sending
Dear Girls, Let me first start by saying that I am not writing this letter to throw hate or shade. I believe every woman to be beautiful in their own right. I am writing this letter to simply present the case that in all things, we have options. This morning I woke up and began to read the news and engage in social media as I often do. Before 10 am, I saw two pictures of two women who I consider beautiful creatures and very much influencers in today’s society that encourag
