Hey everyone. My name is Honey, and my biological mom's name is Keisha. Keisha is a queer black woman living in North Carolina, and she deeply needs community support. Thank you so much for reading this and considering donating to my mom's fundraiser. It means so much to me. I’m a 26 year old artist and 4th generation native of North Carolina. This year I've started a business that will serve as a creative hub for folks in Asheville, NC. Through that venture I’ve experienced all the hardships that come with being a young black person trying to start a small business. However, my main concern this year has been my mom and building stability for her. I've been providing for my mom's basic necessities for the last 4 years, and that financial burden is no longer sustainable. I'm looking to the community now for support in lifting her up and starting a life. Due to unexpected and uncomfortable situations, my mom became pregnant and gave birth to me when she was 16 years old, on  August 28, 1994. She was a high school student, playing varsity basketball with the prospect of a full-ride scholarship to UNC.  Due to the lack of familial support, she wasn't able to finish school or follow through with her scholarship as planned. She was left on her own to find a way to survive—a child with a child on the way. Due to generational trauma, her family was unable to support her in any way; she looked for other resources but was continually failed by the system because she is a queer black woman. Once I was born, she did her best to raise me and give me everything I needed as a child, but unfortunately, I experienced my first sexual assault at the hands of one of her family members. Once she found this out, she was understandably extremely upset. Things boiled over to the point of involving police, and I was forcefully removed by the state from her care at 4 years old. From the age of 4 to the age of 10, while I was in foster care, my mom fought tooth and nail to regain custody of me, but she was offered no resources and no support and was unable to successfully get me back. I was adopted, without notice to myself or my mother, at the age of 10, and again experienced the trauma of being ripped away from my mother. My mom was left alone, to walk home in the cold with no support from her family, and no support from any governmental systems. From the age of 10 to 19 my mom was searching for me, trying to get on her feet so that she could someday reconnect with me. My case was reopened at 18, and at 19 my mom finally found me, and we were physically reunited when I was 21 years old. I knew my entire life that I wanted to be reunited with my mom. My adoptive family was always supportive, but because of the justice system, we had to be kept apart. When I was finally reunited with her, I saw the state of her life and my heart dropped. I was not surprised that she was unable to build a foundation of stability because of the ways in which the system constantly mistreated her as a queer black woman, but I was so upset and heartbroken to see that she still could not get out of this cycle of trauma. She experienced homelessness, financial instability, domestic violence and abuse, hate crimes from strangers, a fight with cancer and other severe health issues, and so many more tragedies over the years. I've been doing my best since then to support her, trying to do anything in my power to make her life easier, as well as trying to hold myself up and survive. I've come to a point where I can't do it all on my own and I really need help so that my mom can have a stable life.  She recently was able to escape an abusive living situation and is currently looking for new housing. She was able to secure a job, where she has the ability to transfer to other locations, and she has so many dreams and goals she wishes to accomplish. In order to support her in these endeavors, I want to raise 6 months of living costs so that she can have the financial stability she deserves to start a new life. Here's a brief breakdown of the cost of her living: Rent @ $1,300/month Security Deposit @ $1,300 Gas @ $150/month Groceries @ $400/month (Keisha has a deep love of cooking and it brings her incredible joy) A new phone through Straight Talk @ $495/year These expenses total $13,195, over the course of 6 months. We want to raise $20,000 so that she can also make doctor's visits, buy furniture and appliances for her apartment, cover moving costs, buy clothing for work, and any other living expenses she might have. This 6-month cushion gives her the incredibly valuable opportunity to put her income in a savings account so that she can have financial security in the future, and finally have a chance to live an actualized life. I never want my mom to have to walk alone again, and securing these funds would mean the world to me.  Thank you so much for reading, and hopefully sharing and donating to this fundraiser. If you want continued updates on my mom's story, follow me @differentwrld on instagram. <img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/53493704_1610232736365388_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" alt="53493704_1610232736365388_r.jpeg" />

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Help Honey's Mom Build a New Life

Help Honey's Mom Build a New Life

Still $5,833 to go. Help us build momentum.