“Don’t Ever Let Nobody Tell You What To Do”

My maternal grandmother, Ruby, was a Southern firebrand.

Red hair, oversized glasses, and a tendency to speak her mind.  

She was a feminist before Gloria Steinem and maybe even before Betty Friedan.

At 95, and sharp as a tack, these were her parting words to me on what would be our last visit. Su and I had taken her out for fried shrimp 🍤 (her fave) and sweet tea and out of nowhere she launched that little gem.

We cracked up at the time, unaware that this was her parting gift to me, and a serious message.

What MeeMee was transmitting to me was her wish that I remember my sovereignty in a world dominated by the pull to conform, compromise, and comply. 

She used her final words to me to...

Fortify.
Empower.
Embolden.

That I might remain...

Self-Determined & Free

And I am offering ROAR for these same reasons.

Let us be Fortified together. Empowered. Emboldened.