Reneald "RJ" Benton
It's not uncommon in this life to have a nickname. Just as often, nicknames, whether chosen by us or bestowed upon us by other bring out alternate sides to our personalities.
When Reneald "RJ" Benton performed at Truth & Consequences: a storytelling cabaret in February 2020, she chose to focus her story on how the phases of her life and the names she's gone by have marked the journey of her growth.
It begins with our elders...
Growing up on the southside of Houston, TX, Reneald's mother passed away when she was quite young. She was left to be raised by her grandmother. "In that pain," she says, "we just have to find a way to deal with it." Reneald became a bit strong-headed because neither of her birth parents were there to tell her what to do. Her grandmother was busy, working, with a lot of children to raise, and didn't have time to give individual attention to her. As she grew older, though, when her grandmother would call her out, though, she would call her name sternly, "Reneald!" Hearing her name in such a fashion always called the young girl to stand to attention.
Over the years we grow...
In the background, "Nell" was her alter ego. Even though Reneald might have been called out occasionally, secretly Nell was doing whatever she wanted to do most of the time.
A lot of stories go in between, but Nell has been on a wandering journey where always doing what she wanted to do, didn't always lead her to the right places. She experienced trouble with divorce, drugs, and alcohol.
Moving to Atlanta in 2019 with very little money and no one to stay with, she wound up being homeless for a brief period of time.
Now she's the elder...
Now, at the age of 59, has many grandchildren of her own. It's led a new personality to emerge. She likes to call this person, "R.J." R.J. makes better decisions. She's forward thinking. "I'm growing. I'm changing," she says. R.J. found her way to a shelter here in Atlanta, and eventually into the CareerWorks program at ACSS. "They helped me put into perspective who I am," R.J. says.
These days, R.J. is a successful business woman, working for a shipping company that moves freight all over the country.
Not only that, but R.J. had the vision and the drive to want to stand up on stage and tell her story. Interestingly, though, even at this place in life, Nell had a way of inserting herself back into the process. As R.J. tried to take time during her break at work, sitting in her car, even telling her story into the bathroom mirror, Nell talked back. "I don't want to do this," she complained. "I'm not ready for people to hear all this!" Fortunately, R.J. had the self-love to practice patience with her younger self. She made it through, encouraging herself to practice, and delivering the performance of her lifetime.
What does R.J. have to say about her life now?
"I love me some me. I have accomplished so many things in life. I have also tried some things that just would not work. I found peace, peace in my thoughts. My thoughts and my thinking have come a long way from carelessness, to value, valuable, and valued. I know my worth, weaknesses, and when is a good time, when it's not. I am not finish yet. I am not sure who I'm gonna be until I show up."
What does she want to say about ACSS?
"I want people to know the value I place In ACSS," says R.J. "There is a special anointing in this place. The people are genuinely interested, real, and honest. A good dose of caring, concern, and conviction. You have to own your stuff if you're gonna get past you. Thank you, ACSS for blessing me and my family."
