Growing up, my father would force me to read for at least 30 minutes a day. I dreaded holding a book in my hand. But my father wanted me to have the ability to do something he could not, the ability to read (and write). He lived his life with several developmental disabilities but that did not deter him from being an amazing father and an inspiration to myself and others. My father's challenges led me to dedicate my life to the realm of education, supporting students with and without disabilities. As a father myself, my daughter is exploring the world of literature. As grateful as I am for my father putting a book in my hand, half the time, I would sit in my room and write. i think i know freedom - Keith Alexander i think i know freedom,i think it exists in the eyes of my daughter, who will never know oppression like i did.Poverty raised me but prosperity will be a part of her upbringing.i watched her enter this world in a tub filled with water from the Euphrates, bonded together by the strength only a woman can possess. i think i see freedom in the hands of my daughter,whose wrist will never touch the cold iron bracelets that will keep her from reaching the stars.Instead, she will raise the bar.Pushing past the obstacles placed in front of her, while pulling others out of the abyss.i think I hear freedom in her voice.She cries at night for comfort, reassurance, and the thirst for knowledge that can only be bestowed upon her by her mother.i think, no, I now know freedom.Freedom is the grace that reigns from the motherland.I need freedom.I love freedom.And freedom’s name is Amara.