By Ardenna Downing
I am an African American woman who is first generation everything. Most of my life I have worked on “figuring it out,” in order to survive, manage and thrive.
I am a licensed therapist and my motivation for this career path came from being the child of a mother who struggled with mental illness until her untimely death when I was exactly one week away from my 17th birthday. This event, along with other traumatic ones, influenced what I call a “sad spark” within myself. What I mean is, by experiencing unexpected grief, I learned to fearlessly take care of my wants and needs and approach life with a very flexible and daring attitude. In my mind, the worst had already happened, so why not approach life by “jumping in.”
The most recent evidence of this attitude is evidenced by my decision to move to California in January 2024 after having lived in Texas since January 2011, essentially thirteen years. My decision to leave was both personal, political, and professional. I made the difficult decision to leave my comfort zone that was also unhealthy for me in a variety of ways. I was experiencing significant distress in my career as a therapist and for the first time in my life had to consult an attorney regarding some of the laws in the state that could set me up to be sued by private citizens regarding reproductive rights.
