I understand where you're coming from. Crying, showing emotion is hard for me. A very kind writer on the platform wrote a story about me. And I teared up as I read it in the cafe where I was reading and responding to stories. A man saw me wipe tears and asked if I was okay. I felt so embarassed for a moment. And I had to tell myself, "Carm, you haven't done anything wrong because you've teared up in public. It's okay."

There are so many deep rooted reasons why we've been told things as little black girls. Things like "stop acting cute." And "don't shake your hair." Oh the hair thing!

Most is rooted in fear and some is just a distorted ideology passed down as "the way to do things."

Thanks for sharing this story, K.L. And thanks for the mention/shoutout. Keep in touch.