Shout Out to a Survivor By Ejura Salihu

I should have written this a few weeks ago but circumstances delayed this article, I hope its not late to pay tribute to an icon of strength, the survivor we all know too well, Late Maya Angelou. I would not claim to be an avid reader of her poems and her works but I love all the ones I have read and I can't deny the sheer strength that oozes through each masterpiece. I feel a sense of pride reading her struggles and survival. Raped at a tender age of 8, she lost her voice for a while but when she found her voice and spoke, the world listened till the end of her life and we are all still listening. 

Not all victims of rape find their voice immediately, most need time to heal internally before speaking out. I use this medium to encourage all victims of abuse wherever they may be, please heal, take your time, but when your find your strength and voice, don't let it be bullied into silence. You deserve justice, you deserve to be heard. The culture of rape can only be broken if the culture of silence is broken.


In a society where an 'ill mannered', 'indecently dressed' or just a helpless lady is considered worthy of rape, a society where the oppressor is believed to be untouchable, we need all the voices we can get to scream rape away. No one deserves to be raped, abused and silenced by shame. 

Every survivor is phenomenal! I dedicate this to the memory of Maya Angelou and every strong woman that has survived abuse in one form or the other.

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that is rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide
Welling and swelling, I bear in the tide
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave
I am the dream and hope of a slave
I rise
I rise
I rise

RIP MAYA ANGELOU (Phenomenal Woman)