I popped my knuckles and said, “I am unapologetic. That includes my flaws and all. You should be apologizing to me. I am not going to apologize for what Dr. Wright did to me. I am not going to apologize because I want my voice to be heard. Wrong is wrong, whether you see it or not, but I am not going to let Dr. Wright get away with verbally and sexually assaulting and harassing me. As a matter of fact, I have a class full of witnesses that heard your disrespectful comment towards me.”
The Dean asked, “How’s my comment disrespectful, Ms. Anderson?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but another young lady spoke up and said, “If you didn’t know, you looked directly at her when you made your disrespectful, and I might add, biased comment.” She paused and said, “Well, in my opinion, your (she put her two fingers up as if they were quotations and said) “comment” was discrimination.” She stood up as she put on her brown jacket and said, “My name is Precious, and I too am a victim of Dr. Wright. He sexually harassed me this semester as well. I was scared to say anything because he told me it would be his word against mine and I would fail his class. I am standing with Breana.”
Another girl stood up and said, “My name is Marshall, and I too am a victim of Dr. Wright’s verbal and sexual harassment behavior. He started to sexually harass me when I took his History of Psychology class. From there, his harassment never ended. I too am standing with Brenna.”
There was an older woman who kept looking at me. I looked at her without hesitation. She kept flipping her pen, then she would write something on a piece of paper. She looked nervous, but I centered my attention on a dark-skinned young lady who looked as young as me. She had on a light green sweatshirt that had the word Brave on it. Her blue jeans were ripped near the knees (that’s the style nowadays) and she had on pink Converse. As she stood up, she put her hair in a ponytail and said, “Breana, I want to say thank you for speaking up. Most of us are not as strong, bold or brave as you. However, it takes only one person to make a difference. It takes one person to form an impact for change. Although you thought you were alone, you decided to stand alone and make it known that your voice was going to be heard.” Tears formed in her eyes as she said, “Brenna, like you said, we should be unapologetic for our flaws and all. Who is Dr. Wright to take our voice? He had silenced my voice for way too long. I am a homeschooled junior in high school. I just turned seventeen years old. My name is Asia, and I too was touched in an inappropriate way by Dr. Wright. He threatened me and told me if I said anything, he would make sure I failed his classes. That was last semester when I was taking two classes with him. This semester he sexually harassed me too. I never said anything because I was scared. I am standing with Brenna as well.”
The dean put his hands up and said, “Wait a minute. Wait a second.”
The older lady who was flipping her pen yelled, “You shouldn’t be saying wait a minute or wait a second. You must be on Dr. Wright’s team and have verbally and sexually harassed students too because you are not taken aback by what is being said here. You should be investigated as well, you are swallowing down these victim’s stories like smooth warm milk. I too was harassed by Dr. Wright. I had him for Educational Psychology class and he put his hand on my breast. He always pushed my hair out of my face, saying he wanted to see my blue eyes. This term he said I was too old to flirt with because he has younger girls in his class that he can catch. I too am standing with Breana.”
The class was getting out of control. Word went around campus and the Vice President of the University came to our classroom and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, class is dismissed.”
As I was walking down the hallway my phone went off and I received an email. It was a video from an anonymous person regarding what happened in class today. It said, “Breana, show this to your lawyer. Do not let anyone know of the video.” I emailed that person back and said, “Thank you so much. I just sent it over to my lawyers and my parents.” The person emailed me back and said, “Okay, great. I am going to send the video viral. It needs to be seen and heard. Brenna the brave, you are everyone’s hero. Job well done!”
I knew it wasn’t T’eo because he was walking beside me. I wondered if it was the girl who had the word Brave on her shirt. I had no clue, but I thanked them again for the video.
As I walked out the door, there were people saying, “I stand with Breana! I stand with Breana! I stand with Breana!” I didn’t know whether to smile or cry. I pumped my fist and joined in, saying, “I stand with Breana!” There were so many people recording with their phones and the next thing I knew all of the news channels were setting up.
My lawyer called me and said, “If they asked you to speak, let them know you cannot talk unless your lawyer is there. I’m listening to the radio and I am less than three minutes away.”
My daddy called and he asked, “Breana, are you okay?” “I am fine, Daddy,” I answered. I heard a familiar voice yelling my name. I looked up, and it was my mother! She was pushing through the crowd, saying over and over again, “Excuse me. Excuse me.” She hugged me in her arms so tightly that her breast embraced the left side of my face. She put her hands on my cheeks and asked, “Baby, are you okay?” She looked me up and down; she looked worried, as if I was injured and said once again, “Are you okay?” I looked at her and said, “Mommy, I am fine. All of this came about in class today. People decided to speak up and stand up.”
My lawyer called me. I answered the phone. He asked, “Breana, where are you?” I answered, “I am standing right in front of the library with my mother.” He said, “I see you on the steps.”
Attorney Davis looked at me and said, “My, my what do you know? It is true, what is done in the dark will come to the light. I saw the video and all of this came from the dean asking you to apologize to him for making a disrespectful comment. I bet he never thought this would happen. Look at all these people!”
A news reporter was walking towards me as he asked, “Breana, what do you think about all of this?” I looked up at Attorney Davis. He nodded his head yes. I spoke into the microphone and said, “I do not know if I should cry or be happy.” The reporter asked, “Why do you want to cry? I said, “I want to cry because it is beautiful that women are standing up and being unapologetic for what happened to them. They didn’t welcome what was done to them with open arms. I was focused upon them and the unlimited and countless threats they faced. I want to smile because I am happy to see so many women unafraid. It makes me happy to see that fear doesn’t have power over them anymore. Their voices are being heard—and that’s as it should be.”
Another reporter asked, “Breana, you said it is beautiful that women are standing up and unapologetic. What do you mean by ‘unapologetic’?” I looked at him and said, “As I stated before, women are not letting fear take over their lives. Fear no longer has power. Women are loving more on themselves and they are being unapologetic for their flaws and all. Meaning, we as women do not need to seek the approval of others. As long as we approve of ourselves, that is what matters.” The reporter said, “Wow, I love that! As a woman myself, I am going to carry that with me. I should be unapologetic for my flaws and all! What a bold statement!”
There was a journalist who came in on the end of the conversation and she said, “What do you mean, unapologetic for their flaws and all?” I didn’t mind repeating myself again. I looked at the journalist and said, “You are a woman, how many times have you apologized for your flaws to people in general, whether you had to apologize to a male or female for your flaws, just for being you? Something that is a part of you—meaning you do not need approval from anyone. As long as you accept your flaws, you should be happy with who you are. Nowadays women have to apologize for some things we didn’t do; or worse, because of who we are as a person. Not to mention, just like in this situation, the dean wanted me to apologize for what happened to me. I didn’t ask Dr. Wright to verbally and sexually harass me, however, the Dean of the Psychology Department looked directly at me and said, �
�We all must be very careful what we say and how we say it.” As if he was blaming me for what Dr. Wright has done to me and so many other females on the campus. What makes matters worse, he asked me to apologize because he felt as if I was being disrespectful because I spoke my truth. That is what I mean when I say women shouldn’t ever have to apologize for what is right. We should always be unapologetic for our flaws and all, because who else will accept our flaws?”
The reporter looked at me without an answer. I look directly at her and said, “Nobody, only we as women will accept our flaws. With that being said, why not be unapologetic, we shouldn’t ever seek approvals of others, because we are perfect just the way we are.”
“Well said,” the reporter said as she smiled at me.
All I could hear in the background was, “I stand with Brenna! I stand with Breana!
As I walked down the stairs, I gave a hug to many of the women I walked past. I smiled at the other women who I couldn’t get to. Never did I think in my wildest dreams that today would have served a purpose for justice. I am so happy women decided to stand up and speak loudly for their voices to be heard.
***
During the evening after dinner, Summer turned on the news and said, “Breana is a superstar! You are famous.”
As my family and I sat down on the couch the headline was: Unapologetic for My Flaws and All. Summer turned to another station and the headline once again was highlighted as Unapologetic for My Flaws and All. We flipped to all the stations and all of them had the same headline. I smiled.
After we looked at the news for a while, we all had a family discussion about safety. My daddy said, “Breana, I know you are a big girl, but I am going to come with you to school because I do not want any harm to come to you.” I looked at him and said, “Daddy, you do not have to do that.” He replied in a firm voice, “Oh, yes I do.”
My mother looked nervous and worried. I hugged her and said, “Mommy, have faith and know everything will be okay. If it helps, we can meditate and clear our chakras.” She smiled and said, “I think that’s a good idea.”
My phone rang and it was T’eo. I answered and he asked me was I okay. I said, “I am fine, thank you for asking.” I added, “T’eo, thank you for being with me every step of the way today. I truly appreciate it.” He said, “Breana, anytime. If you need me, I am a phone call away.” I smiled and said, “Thank you.” I then asked, “T’eo, are you okay?” He said, “Yes. I am. I wanted to make sure you were fine because you are on every news station. I must say, you most definitely made a statement, like you always do!” I smiled and said, “There’s no other way to do it. I wanted to make a statement and I wanted it to be known and heard.” I paused and said, “The biggest thank you should go to the person who recorded it in class. I wonder who that was. Do you know?” T’eo said, “Nope. I do not have a clue.” “Strange,” I said.
***
Before I settled down for bed my mother, Summer and I meditated and cleared our chakras for about an hour. I was surprised that Daddy joined us too. As I lay in my bed, I thanked the Great Divines like always, but today was totally different. I looked at today as a miracle, because one thing was for sure, today was teamwork and I didn’t go at it alone.
***
A week has passed and the newscasters have been at the school for days. Chloe has called me every day to check on me. There were a couple of nights she came by to spend the night. We talked and like always, enjoyed each other’s presence. I am happy I have a friend like her because she’s been here with me through thick and thin.
As I walked on campus with my daddy to go to math class, I ran into the President of the school. “Hello, Breana,” Dr. Wallace said. I looked concerned and said, “Hello, Dr. Wallace. Is everything okay?” He looked me up and down and said, “Yes, everything is fine. I wanted to catch you before you arrived in class.” He cleared his throat and said, “I got approval from your professors to let you take your final exams early.” I looked at him and asked, “Why?” He said, “I thought maybe that is what you would have wanted.” I paused for a short moment and said, “Dr. Wallace, how could you have thought that if you didn’t ask me? If you had asked me, then you would have known for a fact what I wanted. I do not want to take my finals early. I need more time to prepare, and I need to be in my lectures to know what is going to be on the finals.”
Dr. Wallace looked at me as if I was making things complicated. I said, “Dr. Wallace, I believe you want me to take my finals early to end what is going on—on campus. Whether I am here or not, it is what it is because Dr. Wright caused this problem, not me. I am tired of the men on this campus blaming me and the females here who have been verbally and sexually harassed. The problem is not going to go away until we have justice. Truth be told, this is something we will have to deal with for the rest of our lives. With that being said, excuse me, Dr. Wallace, I have to get to class and prepare for my finals.”
I looked at my watch and said, “Come on, Daddy, before we are late.” He looked at me for a moment, smiled and said, “Look at you! I raised a fighter. You do not need me here, you talked to him as if I wasn’t here.” I smiled and said, “Well, Daddy, for a moment I did forget you were here. Thank you for letting me speak for myself. Believe it or not, Daddy, I got this, but I thank you for being here.” He laughed and said, “I know you got this. I know one thing, I wouldn’t want to double-cross you. My baby girl is a wildfire!”
I walked into math class and once again all eyes were on me. This time around I received a standing ovation. Everyone was clapping their hands and yelling my name as they yelled, “Breana the Brave.” I didn’t pay attention to what they were wearing until my daddy said, “Breana, look at their shirts.” I cried when I read their shirts. They read: Standing with Breana The Brave: Unapologetic for My Flaws and All. I put my hands over my mouth and said, “No way! This is unbelievable.” One of my classmates said, “No, Breana, believe it. You opened the door for all of us. We are not afraid anymore, thanks to you.” I have her a hug and said, “Thank you too. We all have to stick together and stand for something.” Another classmate said, “Indeed. And here we are—standing with Breana.”
My calculus professor, Dr. Gilbert, is a woman. She walked up to me and gave me a hug. She looked at my daddy and said, “I know you are a proud father.” He smiled and said, “Yes, I am.”
After the lecture was over. I was surprised to see how many people were wearing a black shirt with pink letters saying: Standing with Breana The Brave: Unapologetic for My Flaws and All. I looked over at some of the news reporters and they were wearing the shirt too. Today I learned it takes one person to stand up to make a difference. Once one person takes a stand, everyone else will freely come forward with confidence, hope, faith and have peace of mind, knowing this day has finally come.
***
The past weeks have been overwhelming with school and the court case. Final exams are around the corner and I am ready for the semester to be over. I deserve a well-needed break. I went up to Jackson-Miles High today to let the cheerleading team know that I am resigning as captain. Not only as captain, but I will no longer be on the team. I have too much on my plate and I do not need any more responsibilities which I know I can’t afford to take on.
Later that evening, I went to my job to study for my finals. My supervisor said, “Bree, I am so proud of you. You are a fearless woman.” I smiled and said, “Thank you, but this fearless woman is tired.” After studying for a while, I helped the staff clean up, restock the tables and break down the chairs. There was a couple finishing up their conversation, as I looked over, one of the customers had on a Standing with Breana The Brave: Unapologetic for My Flaws and All shirt. I smiled, walked over to get the broom to sweep the floor. About thirty minutes later, my daddy pulled up. I took off my apron, gathered my things and said, “I will see you all next weekend!” My supervisor said, “Okay. See you soon!” As I walked towards the door my supervisor said, “Breana, I noticed you di
dn’t clock in.” I waved, smiled and said, “I did it out of love!” My supervisor said, “How nice of you, but I am going to pay you for a full shift because you didn’t have to help. Like always, you come in, study, manage to find your way to put on an apron and start working.” I laughed and said, “Well, you know me! Good night! Be safe, love you guys!”
15
Chapter fifteen
I awaken to so many text messages because today is
my birthday. I am not doing anything exciting. My goal is to study for my finals. As I walked downstairs my mother, daddy, and Summer were singing Happy Birthday to me. I smiled, laughed, giggled and was filled with happiness. I said with excitement, “Wow, I am 18 years old today!” Summer said, “Don’t get too happy, you are not fully legal until you are 21 years old.” I started to shake my head and said, “Thank you, Attorney Summer.” She smiled, jumped down from the stool and said, “Oh, no problem. I was just doing my job.” My mother walked over and gave me a hug as she said, “Happy birthday, my sweet baby.” I smiled in her arms and said, “Thanks, Mommy!” My daddy hugged me too and said, “Happy birthday, baby girl. May God bless you with many more!” I thanked him as well! Since it was a weekday, we all gathered our things and went on our merry way.
Later that evening, when I arrived home, I opened the door and all I heard was, “Surprise!” Chloe ran up to me and said, “Happy Birthday, bestie!” I said, “Thank you!” I didn’t have a clue that everyone would be here. T’eo walked up to me and said, “Finally, 18 years old!” Summer said, “Well you two are not old enough to drink.” T’eo said, “Leave it up to Summer to school us.” I laughed and said, “Right!” My aunts, Rita and Piper, walked up to me and said, Happy Birthday as well. My mother asked were we hungry. She made me a birthday dinner, no meat, just veggies (organic kale, broccoli, kidney beans, and sweet and sour tofu). I am the only one in my family that doesn’t eat meat. They like tofu but they do not eat it often. I was happy because the food was catered for me, and everyone that I love was there. Luke had to stay at college to take his finals, which I completely understood. After dinner, they sang Happy Birthday and I cut the cake. We talked a little and I opened my presents. Daddy got me a gift card to my favorite restaurant, The Farmer’s Market. Mother and my aunties gave me what I asked for (BP gift cards), Summer wrote me a card which was so cute! Chloe got me an affirmation and astrology calendar for 2019. She knows I love my calendars! T’eo wrote me a letter and gave me a Visa gift card. I hugged and thanked everyone for my special day! I really enjoyed myself.
Unapologetic for My Flaws and All Page 17