My Sisters,

​

We have arrived. We are standing at the threshold of the final month of the year.

 

December is a time that carries a lot of weight. The world outside is moving fast—rushing through malls, planning parties, and talking about resolutions. But in here, in this safe space we have built together, I want us to move differently. I want us to take a collective deep breath. I want us to slow down and honor exactly where our feet are planted right now.

​

This year has been a journey. For some of us, it has been a year of steep mountains. We have walked through diagnoses, through the fire of treatment, through the heaviness of trauma, and into the reality of living in bodies that may feel different than they did in January. But as a Black woman standing before you, looking at this incredible tapestry of women, men, and couples, what I see most clearly isn’t just the struggle. I see your power. I see your endurance.

​

Advocacy: Our Bodies, Our Rights, Our Health

We build our monthly messages on advocacy because knowledge is power, and silence is the enemy of healing. December is a packed month, and the campaigns we are highlighting hit very close to home for our mission.

​

We start with World AIDS Day and HIV/AIDS Awareness Month. In our communities, we know that health equity is still a battle we are fighting. We have to continue to destigmatize sexual health. We have to create spaces where getting tested, knowing your status, and taking care of your sexual well-being is treated with love, not shame.

​

But this month is also about freedom. We recognize the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery and Universal Human Rights Month. As a Black woman, these aren't just dates on a calendar to me; they are a reminder of the fight for bodily autonomy. Our mission at Prowl The LAB is about reclaiming ourselves. When we talk about recovering from trauma or disease, we are talking about the fundamental human right to own your body, to feel safe in your skin, and to dictate your own pleasure. You have a right to exist, fully and freely, exactly as you are.

​

We also honor the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week. To those of you navigating invisible illnesses, or learning to navigate the world with different abilities—I see you. I am one of you. I know that some days, the world is not built for us. I know the exhaustion of having to explain your condition or fight for accommodations. Let this month be a reminder that your "different ability" is not a deficit; it is a unique vantage point. You possess a resilience that most people will never understand.

​

And finally, we have to talk about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). As the days get shorter and the light gets dimmer, it is real, and it is valid. If you are feeling heavy, if the grief of your diagnosis or your trauma feels sharper this month, please know you aren’t "just sad." Check in on your mental health. Check in on your strong friends. Let’s keep the lights on for each other.

To The "Prowl The LAB" Community: Awakening Your Divinity I want to take a moment to pour into you. I have watched the members of our Prowl The LAB community do the impossible this year.

​

I have seen you awaken the divinity of your womanhood, even when you felt broken. I have seen you find strength when the medical charts said you should be weak. You have shown up for yourselves. You have done the work. You have proven that a diagnosis does not define your spirit, and trauma does not get to dictate your future.

​

We talk a lot about "resilience," but I want to talk about your "softness," too. It takes a lot of courage to remain soft in a world that requires you to be hard. I am so proud of how you have protected your peace this year. I am so proud of how you've continued to nurture your spirit.

 

For The Unapologetically Single:

Claiming Your Sovereignty I want to speak directly to the women in our community who are riding solo this season. Whether you are single by choice, or because life circumstances or health challenges shifted your path, I want you to wear your status like a crown.

​

This is your season of Sovereignty.

 

Society loves to tell women—especially Black women—that we need a partner to be "complete." That is a lie. Being single is not a waiting room for a relationship. It is a destination of its own. Use this December to date yourself. Reclaim your sexuality on your own terms, in a way that honors your body’s current needs. Figure out what brings you joy. Build a self-love so deep and so rock-solid that it doesn’t require validation from anyone else. Be unapologetic about your freedom. You are whole, all by yourself.

​

For The Couples: Nurturing Connection & New Intimacy

To the couples in our community, especially those navigating the shifts of disease, different abilities, or recovery. I know this year may have required a pivot but you've been able to overcome. Maybe your physical intimacy looks different now. Maybe surgery, medication, or mobility changes have forced you to rewrite the script on what connection looks like. That can be frustrating, but I want you to see it as an invitation.

​

This month, I challenge you to seek new, exciting ways of intimacy. Intimacy isn’t just about performance; it’s about the energy you create between you. It’s about holding hands in the waiting room. It’s about the honest conversations in the dark. It’s about finding what feels good now, in this body, in this moment. Give each other grace. Re-learn each other by exploring the new found eroticism in the physically intimate moments, not simply the sexual activity. There is a profound beauty in loving someone through their evolution. There is also safety, pride, hope, and shared experiences that can last a lifetime. 

​

Giving Yourself Grace: Progress Over Perfection

Now, let’s talk about the pressure of December. There is this idea that we need to wrap up the year perfectly. We feel like we need to have "healed" everything by December 31st.

​

Please, let that go.

​

Our motto this month is Progress Over Perfection. Healing is not a straight line; it’s a spiral. It is messy. Some days you feel like a warrior, and some days you just need to rest. Both days are valid. If you are still figuring out your medication, that is progress. If you are still crying over what you lost, that is part of the progress. Give yourself the grace to be human.

​

The Promise of New Beginnings

Finally, I want to talk about Joy.  After a year of "heavy stuff"—the doctors, the therapy sessions, the adjustments—it is okay to let joy in. Actually, it is essential. As ethnically diverse people, as women, as those navigating health journeys, Joy is our resistance.

As we look toward the New Year, I want you to see the promise of new possibilities. Your life didn’t end with a diagnosis. Your story didn’t stop after the trauma. There are new chapters waiting to be written. There is new laughter to be had, new pleasures to be discovered, and new beginnings that you haven’t even imagined yet. You have survived 100% of your bad days. Now, let’s get ready to thrive in the good ones.

​

So, for the rest of December: Be gentle with yourselves. Be proud of your scars; they are evidence that you healed. Be open to love, especially the love you give to the person in the mirror.

​

We are walking into this new year together, stronger, more divine, and more connected than ever.

​

Strive, my sisters! Rise my sisters! Thrive my sisters! We were never meant to just survive.

​

With so much love and gratitude,

Ebonie Michelle

​

​