Your destiny will dramatically
impact generations after you

Recently I came upon a news story that left me in a puddle of happy tears—really big crocodile ones that dripped off the tip of my chin. The now viral story was about a woman of color who had graduated from one of the most prestigious law schools in the world: Harvard. While in law school she discovered she was pregnant. Now, I’ve never been to law school, but I have a good hunch that the amount of studying required is pure madness. There is much to learn, and I could easily imagine a sane person ending up in the fetal position with all that studying. Go ahead and top that off with a newborn baby. That would make for a busy, sleepless season. As the news story goes, the Harvard law student was in labor during exams week and still passed her tests. She even insisted on an epidural so she could finish up her family law exam. In her final year at Harvard, she cared for her newborn baby girl. With the stresses of school and parenting, she wondered if she would make it to graduation, but she persisted.

She posted on social media,

Today… I accepted my Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. At first, I was the anomaly of my [marginalized] community. Then, as a single mother, I became a statistic. Next, I pray that- for the sake of my baby, I will be an example.

Evelyn [her daughter]- they said that because of you I wouldn’t be able to do this. Just know that I did this BECAUSE OF YOU. Thank you for giving me the strength and courage to be invincible. Let’s keep beating all their odds, baby.

Sometimes it seems that for every step we take toward our dreams we take two steps back. We win some and lose more than we’ve won, yet our lives are precious; and sister, you and I are resilient. We can beat the odds, dismantle the systems and protocols that hold us back, and courageously march forward in our dreams. As I read this news story that left me a blubbering mess, I couldn’t help but think of Ruby Bridges, the first African-American child to attend an all-white elementary school in the South in 1960. Before Ruby ever took a step into William Frantz School, it was her mother who convinced Ruby’s father that she should take the entrance exam to see if she could qualify. Ruby was the only African-American child to be placed in the school.

Flanked by four U.S. Marshalls and her mama, Ruby made her way to school amid the screaming, yelling, and violent protesting. She carried on even when some threw objects in an effort strike her down. She carried on even when someone threatened to poison her. She carried on even when teachers refused to teach her and parents pulled their kids out of school. In the end, only one teacher would instruct Ruby—Mrs. Henry, a new teacher from Boston who welcomed her with open arms. Ruby’s days in elementary school weren’t easy, but with the help of her mama, Mrs. Henry, others, and her God, she prevailed. She didn’t give up. She didn’t quit.

Over the past fifty-eight years, children as innocent as Ruby have been able to walk into desegregated schools because Ruby went first. Because of the dreams of Ruby’s mama, Mrs. Henry, and Ruby herself, others who would come long after Ruby could walk toward their dreams, including the beautiful and bright Harvard grad I’ve already mentioned.Their dreams, along with those of civil rights activists who pushed for desegregated schools, were unstoppable. They changed the course of education for all students in America because they dreamed of greater things. It goes to show: you may never know what pursuing your dream will mean for those who come after you. Even more, you may never know the crucial role you may play in the life of another dreamer.

Excerpted from the book She Dreams: Live the Life You Were Created For, Tiffany Bluhm, Ó 2019 by Abingdon Press. All rights reserved.