There’s a quote by Zora Neale Hurston: "All kinfolk ain’t kinfolk," meaning just because people are African-American does not mean they are working t… - Ashlee Marie Preston

Growing up I felt underrepresented in mainstream media. I knew that someday I was going to change that by holding space for those that felt as I did. As women, those of color, and LGBTQ people, we’re often silenced while others speak as experts on our experiences. No one can tell our stories better than we can.

I feel that it’s impossible to be an ultraconservative feminist, because you’re supporting people that are working against your own interests ... [I]f you’re not actively dismantling racism, or discrimination based on class and economic position, then you are part of the problem — and you’re benefiting from the oppression of other women.

I often made up these stories in my mind about people I idolized or wanted to be like. I always write happy endings for them and convinced myself that life would be so much easier if I could walk in their shoes. But I never realized that in those shoes their feet were scraped and bruised like mine.