Spirit strengthening mantras, that were passed down from generation to generation, roamed aimlessly through Rose’s head. Forced isolation from family and friends clouded out all signs of tomorrow… ”And this too shall pass…after difficult comes ease…been through the mill but didn’t get grinned up…” Or was it too late for Rose?

At age sixteen, Rose purposely gets pregnant thinking that will be her “grown lady” ticket out the door. She leaves home to live happily ever after with her eighteen year old boyfriend, Malik. He isolates her from her family and friends and perpetuates a vicious cycle of physical and mental abuse.

Gladys Gale, currently known as Rasheedah Sharif is the daughter of Grover Smith and Helen Rayam. Her place of birth was Florida however she was raised in Newark, NJ. She is the mother of eight children, four daughters and four sons, as well as the proud grandmother of 16 grandchildren and counting. Rasheedah has enjoyed being an artist all of her life and an educator since 1985. She is also a motivational speaker who combines spiritual aspects of the color spectrum with art to reach people. Currently, Rasheedah resides in the Tampa Bay area where she is available for color meditation workshops, as well as art shows. You can also find her performing a one woman skit based on chapters in her book. The skits are designed to expose the horrors of domestic violence and substance abuse and show opportunities for escape.