“It was when my husband passed away that I found out that I was HIV positive. I got it from him. I was happy before then and didn’t suspect anything when I married him. I have never heard of HIV before that. When the doctor told me that I carried the virus, my whole world shattered and came crashing down, my future immediately became blank. I became powerless and hopeless. Instantly, I belonged to an ostracised group. My mother, the woman that birthed me, abandoned me the minute she heard I had the disease. Whether out of guilt or shame, I don’t know, but it broke my heart. The same for my siblings. Everyone reacts differently when they discover that you have HIV, but the most common ones that observed were shock, anger, sadness, and fear. I suddenly felt alone in this world. I slept rough; fortunately, there were some generous souls that provided me with a temporary shelter, but it was short-lived because of pressure from their relatives. People fear the unknown and things that they don’t understand. No one knows what tomorrow will bring, and God has sent down both disease and its cure, and I’ve come to accept that. I’m happy to be alive even though I’m sick and alone. I’m hopeful now that we will find the cure. My situation has improved, and I’ve received enormous support from the Somali community – especially those informed about the disease. I’ve realised that I’m not alone and that there are many like me.”

(Burao)

“Ninkayga marku geeriyooday baan ogaaday inaan qabo cudurka halista ah ee HIV. Isaga ka qaaday. Runti, farxad baan ku noola ka hor, oo waan iska guursaday anigoo shaki qabin. Weligey ma maqlin cudurka la yiraahdo HIV ka hor. Marku dhakhtarka ii sheegay inaan qabo xanuunka, nolosha waan ka quustay, mustaqbalkaygi wuxuu noqday mid mugdi soo galay. Durba waxaan la kulmay takoorid. Xitaa hooyaday iyo walaalahay baa iga cararay markii la igu ogaaday cudurkaas. Ma garanayo inee ceeb awgeed iga carareen iyo in kale, laakin qalbigeyga xasuus murugaleh ku reebtay. Waxaan dareemay kalinimo, naxdin, cabsi iyo caro badan. Guri la'aan baan noqday. Nasiib wanaag waxaa jiray hadana weli jira shaqsiyaad ii caawiyey oo meel aan si kumeel gaar ah aan u seexdo i siiyey laakin cadaadis badan bey markasta kula kulmi jireen dadka kale iyo ehelkoodaba. Dhibaatada jirta waxa weeye, dadka waxay ka cabsadaan wax aysan garanayn. Weli waan ku faraxsanahay inaan noolahay oo Ilaahay baa mahad leh inkastoo xanuunkas ii hayo. Ilaahey ayaa balanqaadey in cudur walba oo dunida yaala uu daawo leeyahey mana ogid beri waxa aad la kulmi karto, waan aqbalay. Waan ku rajo weynahay in daawadiisa la helay hadu Alle idmo. Xaaladayda way so hagaagaysa oo tageero badan baan ka helay dadka Soomaaliyeed oo la socda dhibaatada ee leedahay cudurkan. Waxaan ogaaday iney jiraan Soomaali kale oo cudurkan ku dhacay.”

Specifically to this woman. 

Earlier today, Jo Cox, a Labour MP in Northern England, was stabbed and shot at an event in a library. 

It has just been confirmed that she has died due to the attack. 

She was a great campaigner and humanitarian, and has left behind a husband and two children. 

This kind of event happens rarely in the UK, and so this is terrifying and destabilising that such a horrific thing has happened to such a compassionate person. 

During the 15-hour Senate filibuster on gun control, there were 38 shootings that killed 12 people and injured 36 more across America. 

Hello all! This is a reformatted version of this post originally compiled by randymusprime​.

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“You were a shooting star amongst ordinary stars.” -Jack (1996)

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Rest In Peace, victims of Racial hate crime.