My first big girl, two-wheeler bike was bright blue.

The front plaque had a picture of a little boy playing baseball on it. The bell was big and loud. I was in love.

There was a group of old men that played cards outside the South Bronx toy store. They laughed at me when I picked that bike. They said it was a boy’s bike. They said I couldn’t have it because I was a girl.

And was I really sure that I could even ride a two-wheeler?

I was disappointed. Then I was angry. I was so angry, I rode that blue bike straight out of the store and rang the bell the whole way home.

Girls hear don’t, can’t and shouldn’t on a daily basis. They are told that their gender alone limits them from achieving. What would happen if we showed them their power, if we kicked these perceived limitations to the curb?

What if we showed them they were unstoppable:

Author: Nicole Cameron

Image: IsaccYi/Flickr

Video: YouTube