Overcoming Speech Impediment
By Hadiatou Wann | 11/30/ 2018
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“African booty scratcher, b****, h**,” imagine being called all these names and not being able to talk back. Those were the horrendous names Tenneh Sesay used to be called when she was mute.
Sesay was born on December 4th, in Guinea, Conakry. She grew up with a speech impediment, that was later rectified when she and her family came to the United States. She admitted that at first adapting to a different culture, environment, and energy was scary.
At home it was unfortunate that Sesay couldn’t talk to her family, let alone communicate in their native tongue Maninka. Then when she went to school, she was constantly bullied. Every time someone bullied her, what did she do? She fought back. Since she could not defend herself with words, she used her fist, which got her suspended over and over. “I felt disconnected from people, because not everyone understood my struggle,” Sesay explained.
To gain popularity, Sesay hung out in the corner store with the bad kids and did what bad kids do. Her grades suffered immensely, and her family became concerned about her mischievous behavior. She knew that she “had to change her personality” because she did not want to be a failure and disappoint her family.
Proving everyone wrong, Sesay kept herself distant from bad company and immersed in her studies. She joined a debate team in school, fashion shows, became a camp counselor, and a contributing writer for the daily newspaper Boston Globe.
“My whole family thought that I would be mute my whole life.” Until one day, at age 12, “God decided to give [her] a voice.”
Her first words, as she recalls, were “mama.” She was thrilled, yet it felt strange to open her mouth and finally pronounce utterances that were once entrenched in her thoughts.
In 2017, Sesay pushed herself to participate in the Miss Guinea USA pageant, despite being heavily criticized by the African community and family members. Her focus wasn’t on only showing off garments, her focus was on sharing her story. She competed to win a crown. But that crown was more than an object that glistened. It was a symbol of hope. It was an opportunity for Sesay to stand on a stage, be vulnerable, and grow the courage to share a part of her that she hid for so long.
“I knew I would win something, but I didn’t know what,” assured the beauty queen. Although she wasn’t crowned Miss Guinea USA, she won over people’s hearts with her story and tenacity, walking away with the Viewer’s Choice Award.
Sesay took it further, and in October 2018 published a children’s book “Mute No More: How I Overcame My Speech Impediment and Became a Beauty Queen,” which aims to educate and empower children about speech impediment. This endeavor made her realize that she had a passion for helping children, hence she changed her major from business to Early Childhood Education at Bunker Hill Community College.
If you met Sesay years back, you would have thought that she was stuck up and uninterested in conversing. But that wasn’t the reason why kept her mouth shut. She was incapable of speaking back. After undergoing a plethora of therapy sessions and having unwavering faith, she was able to speak her mind. She continued to improve her speech by carefully watching television, and emulating the way characters spoke.
“I never would have dreamed she would have made it this far,” expressed Marjorie Bigham, Sesay’s speech teacher for fours years in high school. “She’s a fighter! She made plans and worked hard.”
Looking back at the first time she met Sesay— who didn’t realize at the time that she also had a learning disability. “She had trouble with her academic material. We worked on assignments and rehearsed texts,” Bigham added.
Sesay is a winner! She is no longer mute. She refused to let a disability cripple her for the rest of her life, overcame a speech impediment, and now projects to build a community center in Guinea to help children with learning disabilities.
Welcome to Sesay’s World
“Beauty is all about the inside and how you carry yourself.”
“My biggest inspiration is Michelle Obama. What she’s been through teaches you to never give up on your dreams and to fight for what you believe in.”
“Stop bullying! Don’t judge a book by its cover. You never know what that person is going through, and you don’t know who they will become tomorrow.”
Sesay and her niece
“I love children, even though they can be annoying sometimes. I love their energy. They are fun to be around!”
“I have a friendly personality. I can get along with anyone.”
“Before I was scared and emabarassed to share my story. Not anymore! Come out of your comfort zone. Accept who you are, and don’t let negativity bring you down.”
Connect with Sesay
Facebook: Tenneh Sesay
Instagram: _ladyafrica
Snapchat: Africanqueen100
Email: memesesay@gmail.com
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