"No matter who other people are, when you peel back the skin, we're all the same," says Hulda Brown of her struggle to find her place in a world that hasn't always been welcoming.

The daughter of a single mom, she had a difficult childhood. She was taught that she was not worthy of love. That she had no value. That her voice should not be heard.  But despite those early messages and painful experiences, Hulda Brown would not be silent.

In 1991 she was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, contracted, she believes, from a needle stick while collecting bottles and cans to earn some cash. It was that experience, she says, that opened the door to a future that would allow her to find her voice and use it to share her experiences to educate and support others.

In this very special episode of Honoring Our Experience, Hulda speaks to us about what it was like to be a flake of pepper in a salt shaker, a metaphor she uses to remind us of the discomfort and challenges in trying to find our way in a world of difference.  On the eve of her 80th birthday, Hulda Brown reminds us that finding your voice is a powerful thing, and once we've found it, we need to use it for good.

Learn more about Honoring Our Experience Here.

Photograph from here.

To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.

To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website.

To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de Santiago

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