Accepting the Award for Vision/ Women of Achievement 2014

This is what I know… To be a person with vision, to be able to see what could be, out there, we have to first be able to see what is, right here within us. We have to discover the beauty in our own story. Seeing that, we come to see what the world needs and what we have to give it. 

I came to Memphis in June of 1994, broken and looking for healing. Lost and longing for a place to belong. My daughter, Jennifer, was with me. And I didn’t want her to get the idea that life is just hard and bitter. I wanted her to know joy as well as challenge.

I found a community of smart, creative and faithful people at First Congregational Church. They noticed me. What a gift to be noticed. Cheryl Cornish invited me to do the Children’s Time in worship, to tell stories. People listened to my stories. And I discovered the beauty of my imagination, the power of my own voice, the absolute joy of creating and telling stories.

Storytelling led me to my theater family, Voices of the South. I wanted to tell more and longer stories on stage. My Voices family has supported me and given me the resources, space and talent I need to do effective performance art.

And my wonderful partner, Anna, sets the stage of my life by always believing that I am capable and then stepping up to help me be capable doing all the things I imagine myself doing. If I am a woman of vision, it’s because Anna made it possible. 

Don’t let anybody talk badly about Memphis around me. I came here and love noticed me, healed me and gave me a place to belong, a way to thrive and shine. 

You’ve heard it said: “Hurt people hurt people,” meaning those people who are hurt turn around and hurt others. But I want to point out to you that healed people heal people. We look back and see that the hurting and the healing have made us who we are today, people who are able to see what the needs are and how to meet them.

I urge you to leave this place and continue doing what you do best: Be good to your neighbors. Look at each other, lean in and listen to each other. Let folks know they are noticed; their story matters. Healing will occur. Everybody’s child will learn that life can be challenging but it can also be full of joy. Memphis can become a safe place for all of us to call home.  

Thank you!