Aja Naomi King’s Inspiring Speech on Overcoming Self-Doubt at the 2017 Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards
My inner critic is strong but I know that I am stronger. I can’t get rid of him; he’ll always be there, a voice in my head telling me to not even dare to dream for something more, that they’ll never give you that, don’t bother fighting for this. But that is exactly what makes me so fierce. Because even with his voice, his monstrous size filling up the space underneath my skin, I still choose to try, and I still choose to believe. All the evidence of my life thus far is telling me that this is no accident, that I do deserve to be here. When I was struggling to write this speech, my little sister said to me quite simply, “You have everything you need.” And she’s right. I have everything I need because I have her, and I have my other little sister, and I have my mother, and I have my father. And I have all of you, and we all have each other. And as long as we continue to be a shield for one another, support each other, lift each other up, and love each other fiercely, we all have everything we need.
