I was watching the movie, Akeelah and the Bee, and it made me think about the importance of the family structure in Black communities as well as, the family structure, in general. I am a product of a positive family structure. I was raised by my Great Grandmother and my Grandfather. I don't know my biological father, and I was separated from my brothers and sister as we grew up. Although my family structure wasn't normal, my family gave me the unconditional love needed for me to be created out of the same unconditional love that brought me to this earth in the first place. It wasn't easy for my grandparents to raise me. They had already raised their own children, and I appreciate them for what they did. If it was not for them I would not be the person I am today. It was the love that got me through the hard times. When I had to reflect on my mother and father not being around, my grandparents’ love got me through. When I was diagnosed with ADD and I had difficulty in school, it was the love from my grandparents that got me thought. When I was diagnosed with Lupus at ten and it left black spots on my face and made me extremely ill, it was the love from my grandparents that got me through. Without love, my existence would be pointless. Without love, I wouldn't want to exist on this planet. I wish that we could all feel this way.

“Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, our greatest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” – Marianne Williamson

The success that most people want to achieve in their lives starts with the love and the support you get from your home and your community. You learn how to be a person from your family. You learn about love and support from your family. The family structure is the most important piece of your journey. So if you’re a parent, then just know that your love can create a person that can change the world like Martin Luther King Jr. But the opposite of love is hate, and when you don't give your children love; when you beat on them, when you curse them out. When you don't give them love, you create hate and that hate creates people that end up doing bad things in this world. I believe that love is the best way to describe the Supreme Being and if you give love through all the days of your life, you will find that you possess the same light in you that your Creator has.

Going back to the movie Akeelah and the Bee, if you pay close attention the movie. You can see how love is the driving force to all success. The support Akeelah received from her family, community, teachers, and her spelling coach allowed her to be able to succeed no matter what was in front of her. This movie showed what a young person can do when they have their whole community behind them. Akeelah had a lot of trials and tribulations on her road to winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee. She was challenged to be her best self, even when she didn't believe in herself. The movie also showed how a great community that has diversity, unity, love, could work together regardless of their gender or skin color. Watching this movie made me see how great our communities could be, if we put more effort into ourselves and treat one another better. Love will set us free and hate will keep us slaves. Like Akeelah said at the end of the movie “It's a feeling where everything feels right. You’re not worrying about tomorrow or yesterday. You feel safe and you know you did the best you can.” The feeling that she described was love. Unconditional love saved my life.