CeeCee Ross Lyles

Hey CeeCee. I know that you don't know me, and that's okay. What matters is that I know you. It means, that your death wasn't in vain. It means, that we still remember. From what I've heard, I know that you really wanted to be a flight attendant. Being only sixteen, I obviously wasn't alive to have interacted with any of the flight industry prior to your death, but I'm assuming even before then, being a flight attendant was a huge struggle; but you pushed through that. Through years in the police force, through years of running into some of the meanest people around-- you kept at it. That speaks volumes. It shows character, and you have lots. I don't know for sure, but I feel like if you were still here, you'd be such a role model to women around you. You were a woman in the police force in the very late nineties- a black woman in the police force. That must've been a challenge. But you pursued, through all of it; the world was unkind and took that life away from you even through your success, but I know you absolutely did the best you could. 

I'm truly sorry about your story. You got what you'd been trying to achieve for so long, the job of your dreams, just for it to be taken away. The world was and is unkind, but the fact that I'm given this platform to write this letter to you? It means that it's healing. It means there's change. It's been so long, but people still care about you, and I feel like that just that alone outweighs everything negative that happened.

I don't truly know how scary what you experienced was, but... you were so strong. I've read so much about what you were a part of- the terror of it, and even then, with all of that knowledge, if I were placed in your shoes I would still be so unfathomably scared. But you kept your calm. Well-, I know that was kind of your whole job, but the thing was; you knew you were going to die. At least, some part of you did. You connected the dots. You knew what happened in New York, and the plane had probably diverted its course by then, but you still kept your calm the best you could. That's amazing.

Now, personally, I'm kind of a 'shut down and freeze' kind of person, so I already know I'm kind of biased with how I feel about your strength and courage to act, as naturally, it seems impossible to me, but I feel like anyone can agree; acting, even if driven partially or completely by peer pressure, or the thought of seeing your children, or any other sort of thing driving you, it must've been a herculean task. And I just can't help but applaud you. So, nice job, CeeCee. I know it wasn't just you that saved people that day, but... I think without you, the efforts of the passengers as a whole might have not gotten as far as it did, so, for that... thank you. Thank you, and everybody else on that flight. You saved a lot of people that day.

I think the world needs more people like you.

Thank you, CeeCee.