For years, our family name was the kind that made people lower their voices and exchange looks behind our backs. I grew up knowing that whenever something went wrong in the village whether someone’s livestock died, a marriage broke, or a child failed in school our family was the easiest target.
No one ever said it directly, but the whispers followed us everywhere. By the time I became a parent, the weight of that reputation was still heavy on my shoulders. I feared my children would carry the same burden, the same stigma, even though they were innocent.…CONTINUE READING
