We were quite shocked and out of sorts when supermodel Ajak Deng announced her retirement from modeling last week, though we’re not naive to the intense pressures of the industry. Luckily for us, it seems Ajak had a change of heart, as she took to Instagram to announce the fact that she wouldn’t be leaving modeling after all:

In the post, Ajak said, “I was selfish to only think of myself and forget the people that have always been there for me through the worst times and good times,”. She continues, “I feel like I have touched so many young people’s lives, gave them hope. Just because I come from NOTHING does not mean that I can’t make something for myself and for that I will still want to continue to touch more lives. Yes sure giving up is easier but who will fight the war that we are so in denial about? I am just getting started and modeling isn’t the only thing I will be successful in, in my lifetime. I apologize to every kind soul/heart that I have broken in the past week. I thought giving up was easier but I am going to stay and fight this war with kindness, forgiveness, love and support to all humanity. We are all beautiful and deserve to be respected. #BigLoveToHumanity.”

A photo posted by AJAK DENG (@ajak_deng) on Feb 28, 2016 at 6:17am PST

At the beginning of the statement, she talked about the first time she noticed herself in a Philipp Plein campaign, as well as her first season in Milan and the prejudice she encountered. “I remember my first season in Milan, walking through the the airport and seeing the @philipppleininternational campaign. Wishing I could one day be one of the faces up there, NOW all I can say is thank you for making my dream come true. P.S my first season in Milan, no one booked me and I was so destroyed because they weren’t booking black girls like me that season and thank God for my sweet and encouraging agent @meansss who told me that there was absolutely nothing wrong with me and that I was one of the most beautiful girls in the world, to wipe off those tears, come back to New York, and change their minds one day at a time. She continued to support and still have my back even though I decided to throw it all away after our hard work and for that I came to realize that she is my spirit and a guiding angel.”

We’re happy to see that Ajak is continuing in the industry: she’s one of our faves. Her decisions with this have been courageous and though racism and prejudice in the industry is something we unfortunately report on what seems like weekly, it does take bravery for her to address that huge issue head-on in a public forum.

We can’t wait to see what’s next for her! Thoughts on Ajak’s decision?