A Map You Cannot Refold

Standing on the TEDx stage, Danielle Shontae Smith shared, for the first time, her story of self-erasure. In 19 minutes, she told of the shame and internalized oppression behind her poignant question: Why do I feel guilty for existing?

By 10 years old, Danielle Shontae Smith had already started her first diet, defined her worth by her proximity to perfection, and was collapsing under the weight of the label "gifted." Almost three decades later, ever the good student, she undertakes the assig...