A Baltimore-based writer, Leighann Garcia, shares a personal story of her tumultuous friendship with Natasha Guynes, founder of HER Resiliency Center, which provides support to women recovering from trauma. Guynes, a visible figure in activist and political circles, died in May at age 45.

A Complicated Friendship

The writer reflects on the early days of their friendship, how quickly Guynes had been willing to make herself an important person in her life, and the ways in which their relationship had been strained for some time. Garcia had learned quickly that Guynes could not bear silence, could not bear her loneliness; she called Garcia excessively, several times a day.

Guynes was well-known for her relentless work in helping women facing many of the same circumstances she had faced, including addiction and sex work in her early twenties. However, her convictions were directly tied to her survival, and she often struggled to turn off the part of her that leaned toward advocacy, even with her friends.

A Difficult Truth

Garcia had started volunteering for Guynes’ organization, HER Resiliency Center, and had been asked for her feedback on the culture and leadership. Garcia had agonized over a way to tell Guynes a difficult truth – that she couldn’t keep her staff due to the demands on them and the blurred lines between personal and professional relationships. When Garcia shared her feedback, Guynes became predictably defensive and shut down.

The writer’s relationship with Guynes had been strained for some time, and Garcia was forced to confront the ways in which her world had bent and grown around Guynes. The ways in which her peaceful life had started to feel chaotic.

Original reporting: Baltimore Fishbowl — read the source article.