During a staff meeting last year, I asked my team: why do cancer patients get public sympathy, while HIV patients are publicly stigmatized? Should it matter when someone is ill and needs our love and support?

Today, I ask: why are single mothers so atrociously ridiculed and stigmatized by society? It pains me to read some of the insensitive things people have recently written about Isha Sesay (pictured above), just because she has chosen to become a mother on her own terms. I find it very appalling, and sometimes disturbing, to understand how people just hide behind keyboards to spit out hate for no justifiable reason. A beautiful child has been born and a woman's dream has come true. That's all that matters.

On this special #internationalwomensday2023, I want to celebrate the real SUPERWOMEN who are out there raising their kids on their own without a father figure. You are the MVPs. I am here today because of my mother's bravery and courage to give me a chance to live, even after my father told her he didn't want the pregnancy. May the good Lord rest her soul. I would not be here today if not for her. Isha Sesay - You did the right thing. Your angel will be eternally grateful to you for your bravery.

Life isn't always a straight line for everyone. These superwomen (single/divorced/widow) have been doing this successfully for ages, raising some of the very best:

- Jay-Z – Rap legend & businessman (Raised by his mother after his father abandoned his family)

- Angelina Jolie - Acting legend and humanitarian (Her mother had to quit her career to raise Jolie and her brother)
 
- Barack Obama - The first African American President of the US (Raised mainly by his mum and grandparents without his biological father).
 
- Bill Clinton - Former US President (Raised by his mother and grandmother after his father died months before he was born).
 
- Shaquille O'Neal - NBA legend (Raised by his mother after his father was imprisoned when he was an infant)
 
- Alicia Keys – Music legend (She was raised by her mother after her father left when she was only 2 years old)
 
- Michael Phelps - Olympics swimming legend and 23-time gold medalist (Raised by his mother after his parents divorced when he was 9 years old)
 
- Selena Gomez - Singer and actress (Raised by her mother after her parents divorced when she was 5 years old)
 
- Mariah Carey - Music legend and actress (Raised by her mother after her parents divorced when she was just 3 years old)
 
- George Washington - Founding Father of the United States (Raised by his mother after his father passed away when he was 11)
 
- Kamala Harris - Vice President of the US (Raised by her mother after her parents divorced)
 
- Tom Cruise – Acting legend (Raised by his mother after his parents divorced when he was 11 years)
  
- Halle Berry - Acting legend (Raised by her mother after her parents divorced when she was 4 years old)

Let's stop the discrimination TODAY...