Kalissa Hanshaw, The Bed Evolution

The Bed Evolution by Kalissa Hanshaw

i was raised by ruthless talking, moving from place to place because of domestic violence . I am a child.

I was raised by two strong Black women with many flaws . We-never-had-itgood-back-in-our-days type of women .

I was raised moving back-and-forth, staying at families’ houses, nowhere to stay .

I will get through this, I am strong.

I was raised by a white woman who struggled as much as us Black women .

The strong always win .

I was raised by different beds, bunk beds, and just mattresses back-to-back .

I was raised around violence . I’ll kill you kind of violence . Gunshots, fighting and arguing kind of violence .

And at the end none of this changed who I was . It made me grow into the person I am now .