For 30 years, I kept parts of my story hidden. Childhood sexual abuse. Reproductive coercion. Domestic violence. Cancer at 21.

I stayed silent because I thought that’s what was required of me.

But silence comforts everyone except the person carrying the weight.

I’m Shamiria Ty’Quaile Bailey. I’m a modern-day griot. And I tell war stories from the battlefield of life.

This is why I’m breaking my silence. This is why I’m launching No Suga on the Rocks.

This is just the beginning.

“Well, you slept with him.” That’s what people say when I tell this story. Yeah, I did. What I didn’t consent to was a man deliberately removing protection to trap me into motherhood at 19. This is the story society doesn’t want to hear and the truth about the blame game.

Content Warning: Reproductive coercion

Four weeks postpartum, alone, and desperate to be seen; that’s when I met him. He looked at me like I mattered. I thought he was my hero. He wasn’t.

Content Warning: Domestic violence, manipulation, coercive control

I thought I was having a miscarriage. I had cancer instead. What followed was the fight of my life, on two fronts, and the moment I knew: leave or die there.

Content Warning: Cancer, domestic violence, strangulation

I left my abuser. I beat cancer. I thought that was freedom. I was wrong. This is what happens when you escape the danger but not the damage.

Content Warning: Domestic violence, homelessness

I met the right man at the wrong time, so I chose myself instead. Three years alone in North Carolina broke me down and built me back up. This is where I stopped running and found my power.

Content Warning: Trauma, mental health, spiritual struggle