“And Let Your Dreams Save You”
June 3, 2015Photo credit: Molly Dilworth
Four years ago, I moved from Los Angeles, California to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to pursue doctoral studies. It was a shock. It was cold way too many months out of the year, and highly segregated when it came to where people lived, worked and socialized. Living daily in a city that is constantly assaulted by police brutality, racism, patriarchy, homophobia, reproductive oppression and high ass unemployment rates (this is not unique to Milwaukee, but in fact, sadly, happens throughout the United States) will make a sista easily build a wall around her. Not just any wall, but a wall so high and so thick nothing can penetrate through it, or climb over it. And everyday, my wall grows thicker and higher; a survival skill no doubt. I lost some of my sunshiny demeanor, and became indifferent to how I moved about. I felt powerless in shaping my life and was depressed. And everyday I thought about running away somewhere warm, with plenty of African heritage people, where we witness and experience liberation. This dreaming saved me.