Wow Wow I'm beyond beyond beyond excited
to be in such an amazing atmosphere
beautiful women gave some amazing
stories true Mavericks I'm beyond
excited I feel like I was getting ready
for the Olympics you know get ready to
run out and just I'm just going on so
thankful to be here for this platform
and be able to share in a space have you
ever had a dream that something you
wanted I was just a little girl from
Mississippi and my dream was to play
basketball but I never thought one day I
would be an advocate for domestic
violence that I would be running for my
life learning how to turn your pain into
power in this little Mississippi girl
from a small family of 2012 girls and
eight boys I'm somewhere there I you
know my dad would say often he said
daughter and most of the time he called
me daughter because he couldn't remember
my name
he says you takin life with you just a
few principles you'll have to carry a
suitcase full of rules if you takin life
with you just a few principles you want
the carry suitcase for the rules on my
dad would you mean by that
he said you live alone whenever you
learn he said but your attitude faith
excuse me faith attitude character faith
attitude and carriage the old three
things daughter gonna take you a long
way
and as I growing up in a family of
twenty I have a twin brother and we I'm
a PK kids preacher's kid we went to
church Sunday when church Monday when
she was away all the time even my son I
said mommy why we going to church on
Friday but growing up my dad we went to
church a lot proud meeting Bible study
and and that ties don't think it does it
take all this and I've realized it's
knowing that it took that and more but
the foundation that my parents gave me
he's gonna up in a family of twenty I
have a hundred thirty nine nieces and
nephews yes and my dad lived on
principles
we had to go to church at some time
pretend I was sick and like now are you
you might be feeling sick now but if you
get the church you'll feel better so
that's what they did
sounds like man I can't even plus my mom
said you don't get sick anyway so I
couldn't do that you know but at times I
wonder why just going to church all the
time but my father gave us this
foundation that really taught me a lot
about mindset he taught me a lot about
and I realized how much I would need it
and and as I stand here and then feeling
like I feel like I was a maverick before
I even knew I was a maverick growing up
in a family of 20 you got to be married
I think but I feel like and I know
without a doubt that the teacher that my
parents gave me the foundation helped me
learn how to turn my pan to power help
me learn how to find that inner fight
within myself and that driving right
here you see a fence in that I don't
want to spend a lot of time on my sports
lockers I want to get into something
more my personal but I have to share
growing up in family of 20 we used to
jump in to climb trees and I was a
serious tomboy Harbor jheri curl I look
more like my twin brother than I look he
did and he was looking at the mirror
like man it's like I used to wanna be
cute why should I put dimples in my face
like why can't I be cute like a girl
girl look like a boy but anyway we used
to jump in to climb trees and that
moment life is about moments moments
that define us and I remember I used to
jump fences I was a tomboy I was pretty
isolated and there's more particular day
as I perceived to jump this fence all of
a sudden I feel like I got high get
higher and I'm I hold up I know I'm
jumping special force I just shook it
off as I got this I got this and I got
ready to run again and I could got
higher and higher and I'm thinking like
what is going on and I could see my
siblings and cousins leave us that come
on don't worry about I got this I can do
this so I try to get us I got this and I
ponder with that but my another five
minutes and all of a sudden the street
light came on I don't know if you knew
but growing up in the south we have five
minutes to be in the house mystery like
hang on I'm thinking like I don't want
to go inside I haven't jumped in space
and they said what is wrong with you
it's no big deal we know you can do it
but it was something so important for me
about get over that fence so i sat there
I didn't even eat dinner we had red
beans and rice and corn bread every day
I said that I didn't won't feel like I
gotta jump that fence I woke up the next
morning no way everybody else asleep I
got up and I said no I can do this go
back to the basis you got this Ruthie
took a step back and I saw myself
jumping over this fence I said I can do
this and I got rid of run run run I
leaped up I got close my eyes and I
landed over the fence and I was on my
back celebrating listen ESPN wasn't
there the in situ at community wasn't
there the Hall of Fame Committee wasn't
there why would that moment important to
me I think what about being a maverick
when things I'm branded you do things
that off of that people don't understand
you create your own path I want at that
moment and I believe without a doubt
only forward to you to feel to you that
that's the moment I start embracing my
own life a journey that's the moment I
start becoming that maverick that I
eventually became that's the moment and
sometime as you pursue life and it might
not make sense to other people but if
just something burned on inside of you
you said I want this pursue it if you
fall flat on your face you know what get
back up you fall further your face do it
again and I look back right wow I'm so
glad could that prepared me for a lot
never had me somewhat some amazing
things as you look I'm the one with the
ugly face without I'm the one at that
moment when you look at that I asked
when I asked when I talked to you that
what are you seeing that picture oh I
see determination I see fight
I see Drive it was two minutes left in
the gold medal game in 1996 we were up
by 25 points I'm like listen I didn't
give anything away because listen that
moment the coach that morning asked me
we were 59 and out she asked me she said
what do you think the key to us winning
tomorrow night I said we got to have
sass but have determination we got to be
we got to just work hard she said
although things are great she said you
know the key is you don't like me
I might just never had Mississippi girl
she said I know you ready she said I
want you to defend this they had a guard
that was scoring she averaged about 30
points a game she said I want you to get
in her grill I don't know that mean I
want you to get her grill she said I
want you to get her
should go to the bathroom you go with
her I like okay coach I got you just I
want you to get so close that I want you
to be the tail where to face you brush
your teeth I like I got this I could do
this oh god my tea I could do this
and sure enough next day I got up I got
up in my defensive stance I was ready I
walked on the core I didn't say a word I
walked and I looked at her my eyes told
her this is gonna be the worst day of
your life
I got this and that moment like feeling
impoverished coach believes in me she
trusts me and I asked how many points
she had she had three the average of 30
points a game I held her to three the
only reason I gave her three point cause
I'm a nice person I gave her a three
point yeah that's right but I was at
this moment now I'm representing only my
family my city my community but I
represent the United States of America I
was supposed to be playing basketball
according to statistic I had get on a
bus and ride a bus to the only school
gave me a chance to play I wasn't good
enough I said it my jheri curl my
Jericho that bad I had to get on the bus
and go to Auburn University and go down
my school visit and they said I won't
played in my senior year I'm thinking
like man I'm a good girl I go to church
why are these things happening to me why
can't I just fall in my lap but
sometimes in life is interesting our
life having when you sometimes we choose
a path but sometimes what happens when a
path chooses us when things don't go the
way we want you are stronger than you
what do you think you are but I got on
that bus I went to Auburn
and the same coach that one played in my
senior year I end up starting my
freshman year and our University and
when you go back now you see this big 16
million dollar facility and you see my
name and the top and my number and my
number attire there and I look at that
reminder that you know I'm glad I didn't
quit because if I'm going to offer and I
want to be able to experience the life
experience and the African smells which
I feel like that's what I feel now I
feel this is the spirit that you'll
never forget I want women to know not
only where I being where I'm at and
where I'm going
I want my experiences to elevate a woman
here for a permission to rise above the
edify
let her know that you can turn your pain
to power so now as you see basketball
has been amazing in my life and but
there are some other things that happen
that may not be as glamorous I live in a
domestic-violence marriage for ten years
I didn't know a victory was standing
leaving there are times where I will
have an amazing game but I will go home
and I was feel this small after I wore
my gold medals I felt like I wasn't
worthy and I almost threw my medals in
the trash I stood before the trashcan
and said I don't deserve this and my
teammates didn't know I was embarrassed
I was shame like you're a two-time
Olympian you're Hall of Famer and you
and your husband is beating you I didn't
I felt so ashamed I didn't feel so
mighty I felt like that I wasn't good
enough and I remember just looking in
the mirror one day yes and that's what
love looks like and I actually ended up
just like I said know what it's gonna
get better because you know am I am I in
my basketball I know how to turn noted
yes I can fight if I work hard I get
great results if I person be a great
things happened so I didn't know how to
say no I was speaking going to
counseling and they were telling me I
had to get two little getaway bags and
go you got four parama how are you
telling me to leave a man how you
telling me to leave this man that I know
love me he has to love me he used to get
me my favorite snacks was his frozen
grapes when I come home he used to never
he never forgot my birthday no
anniversary so this man has to love me
so I don't know how to quit I don't know
how to walk away it's not in my DNA I
got over their fence the great things
happening I got on that bus great things
happen I played in the Olympics I know
what success is and I can't walk away so
I'm so confused who I stay do I go and
and what really made me leave was I took
a step back
and I imagine some this one this young
beautiful girl my daughter was sitting
there and a man was talking to her that
way and I'm like that's not cool that's
not that throw my whole difference her
glasses Familia that don't look right we
had talked oh I like that
Vince helped her that way and I finally
just you know took the courage to leave
and it was hard and and I hid it from my
teammates and not until about three four
years ago
ESPN reached out to me to do a
documentary on my story and and I didn't
want to do us at all you know I don't
want people to think you'd feel sorry
for me I don't I don't want to do it
and they said you could save so many
women lives I'm thinking like you know
okay I do it for the women for me well I
didn't realize how O'Neill that was
because I swept it on the rug for so
long I haven't always been mighty so as
I heal and thrive through this process
and as I when I when they show the
documentary called mighty Ruthie I start
to travel the world and speak and I want
a lot of women prison and you know 94%
of women at prison from domestic
violence 94 percent a woman average
leaving home at least seven times not
just going to the neighbor like
literally leaving and coming back one
out of three women would be abused 20
women every minute gets being abused and
so all these stats are mind-boggling and
so now as I thrived through this process
as I throw out through the pain but this
happened years ago but it I just thought
talking about about three four years ago
and how can I turn my pain into power
because you gotta know what your why you
gotta know what is your why when you
lose your why'd you lose your way what
is your why what you do every American
here what is your why why don't you do
what you do it may not make sense in
about L but you do what you do because
you're gonna empower people and watch it
and as I continue I work with our Kaiser
they do programs for pass the ball for
for women bring awareness to the rest of
my
like over season I travel for the US
Embassy I have my own protocol aim high
that I really inspire young girls and
and I creators of space so they can be
so I can open up a share and being
transparent share my story with a girl
and the next class she shared her story
as 12 years old have been abused she
said thank you for giving me this space
to share my story and that's what helped
me heal that's what helped me thrive
it's being able to give back those
journals over my just books
those are my life story during my times
where I didn't know if I would wake up
alive don't know times why I ran there
are no times where I was in a place
where I was shamed and I didn't look at
myself in the mirror I was writing in my
journal I'm thankful that God allowed me
to survive and that I could share my
story and I have 100% forgiveness in my
heart and therefore you just soar you
gotta learn how to forgive and I know
you got to go through your process but
if you're going through something right
now please let it go free yourself
because if you become prisoner of your
own emotions I give you permission
beautiful women to rise above to flex
your muscles I want everybody to flex
their muscles for a second man you can
do it too okay I see it you know it is
it is a mindset because you know what
there's a study done at Stanford when
you do it when you flex and when you do
when you feel system exercises it does
something up here and I flex when I was
a little girl I found a picture of me
flex there's a little girl when I flex
nice not so much of my muscles of
mindset flex my muscles to be the best
version of myself that's what it's all
about giving back and inspiring young
girls and I have an amazing friend here
Denise William that has been just been
the most amazing person in my life and
just really edified me and we joined
forces together and we do a lot of girls
programs and one was our girl in her
crown it's about these girls allowing
these gear and that's what helped me
heal putting these crowns on these young
girls about giving back it's about
letting the girls know that they matter
and as we go in life and we go through
our struggles lesson let's reach back
and pull some young girl up and let her
know that you matter you are powerful
you have a voice we love you and that's
what I do every day with my program aim
high aim high
the frustration the disappointment
because we love you you matter and I
want every one of you to know that what
a difference you make you the sunshine
day and night what a difference you make
and so many lies and what a change you
have made in our hearts what a change
you are made in the hood you have placed
so many broken parts what I did front
you me and so many hearts I want you to
know when you look in the mirror every
day and it doesn't matter what you look
like the color your skin I want you to
know you matter and I want to read this
it says this woman has forgotten about
been forgotten about
this woman has fought a thousand miles
but it's still standing
I've cried a thousand tears but I'm
still smiling I've been broken and
betrayed but I'm still walking proud I
laugh and I live without fear I love
without doubt this woman is beautiful
this woman is a maverick this woman is
me
[Applause]
you