Introducing myself and my journal: Raising A RUHCUS (Radical Unapologetic Healing Challenge 4 Us)

About Me:
I describe myself as a fat, black , queer writer, performer, activist, friend, mac and cheese maker, Dead Mama Legacy holder, Anastasia Duchess Yorkshire Terrier Lover from a little bit of everywhere between Pittsburgh, PA and Oakland, CA. And I wake up every morning believing that I can do something to improve this planet by fostering radical love in its inhabitants. This is the act of raising a RUHCUS. The power of technology has allowed me to step into healing my personal shames and traumas while sharing that healing in community with thousands simply being connected digitally. In 2011 I began an online movement called The Body is Not An Apology (TBINAA). This movement was focused on cultivating radical self love and body empowerment throughout the world. Today we are a movement of over 38,000 people in 45 countries using the internet to interrupt body shame and body terrorism in the form of racism, sexism, sizeism, ableism, homo and transphobia, ageism and all other body discrimination. In order to truly do this work I had to first dig into my own body shame. My biggest shame as a young adult was the traction alopecia I developed as a child. It resulted in constant teasing in school and decades of living beneath wigs and weaves because of hair shame! I knew I needed to get free from the body shame and so I designed a 30 day healing project called RUHCUS(Radically Unapologetic Healing Challenge 4 Us) to unshackle myself from the emotional bondage of my hair. Part of my RUHCUS was to undo the belief that hair was the only way I could be beautiful by living in the world without hair for 30 days. I shaved my head bald, got free from that shame and have been bald and loving it since July 2011. Thanks to the brilliance of the internet people around the world were able to see my videos and connect my healing to their own. Today, RUHCUS is a tool people all over the world use to heal shame, pain, trauma and fear in their lives! From South Africa to Southeast Washington, DC people are choosing to love themselves radically and choosing to fight for everyone's right to that same radical self love! It is a gift to be doing this work!

My Passions:
Radical Self Love, Empowerment, Justice, Equity, Art, Community, Poetry, Writing, Performance, Activism

My Challenges:
Lateness, butter, staying connected to family

My Vision for the Future:
believe in the possibility of sustainable social change, community and personal healing & wellness built from a foundation of deep radical self love. As we heal and ourselves we give others permission to do the same.

My Areas of Expertise:
Performance Poetry, visioning, motivational speaking,