In the beginning of December 2025, I had a terrifying experience. As I was walking to 6am prayer at my church, a man crossed to my side of the street. In an instant, the first thought I had was this man is going to rob me. I prepared to cross the street behind him, and he stopped dead in his tracks, in the middle of the street. I also stopped a few feet away from him as I prepared myself for what he might do. Since it was so early and dark, there were very few people outside. I was alone. After a few seconds, he said, “You’re good” and turned around and walked away. I continued walking to church, more shaken than when I had left my apartment.

            As I processed this incident over the following days and weeks, I was grateful for what can only be described as a miracle. There was no reason why he should have stopped, and I might never know what he saw or what led him to that decision. In the moment I did not feel fear, only defiance. I felt defiance on my face, and in my body. Despite the immediate danger, in the moment I felt calm. It was as though my body knew exactly what it needed to do to protect me.  While my body was protecting me, I met a new side of myself.

            Growing up in a Christian household and as a Black woman, anger is not a welcomed emotion. So many of us are taught that anger is an emotion to be feared or discouraged. But if your life is threatened, shouldn’t you become angry? If your freedom is at stake, wouldn’t anger be a justifiable response? The reason society teaches us to fear anger is because anger is an emotion that demands an action. It is an emotion that demands to be heard and seen and felt. It is an emotion that often proceeds change.

            I realized that part of what bothered me so much in this situation is that I had to step outside of my normal personality to survive what was happening to me.  The calm, well-mannered individually that I normally am, was not needed in this moment.  In this moment, the defiant, fighter in me was needed. This side of me had never been seen before. We have never met. And while I don’t hope to meet her often it was nice to discover that she exists.

            We are living in times that many of us have only read about in history books. Times that will require more of us. Times that will require us to be angry. Justifiably angry. I would urge you not to run away from the version of you that you meet along this path. When things become tough, that is when you find out what you are truly made of. Do you know who you truly are?