Free to be me

FROM SLAVE TO SUPERSTAR! I am a slave. I don't read or write. My head is under a bucket when I pray. I work hard all day. When you look at me, my face I hide; I have no pride. I'm not alive. I am a negress. I can not speak. I am the great grand-daughter of the slave. My education is third grade. I own a business, a home, and a car. I have gone far. But I still feel bad; my memories are so sad. I want to do more, but I can't get my foot in the door. I am colored. I have no voice. I am the grand-daughter of the slave's great grand-daughter. I graduated from college, and raised 2 daughters; I am a single parent. I had to fight for everything I have; my job, my home, my sanity. I am proud, I am angry, I am a negro. My voice is loud, but seldom heard. I am the great, great, great, great, great, great grand-daughter of the slave.
I excell at all things, academics, sports, life!
I love myself, I know who I am and where I'm going.
I lift up my voice in praise to God!
I am BLACK, I am BEAUTIFUL!
I am a Diva, a SUPERSTAR, I will go far!
I thank the slave for my life!
The World is mine. When I speak, I am heard.
PRAISE GOD, I have arrived!!!!!

JOI





PHENOMENAL WOMAN
by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a model's fashion size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips
The stride of my steps
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please
And to a man
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees
Then they swarm around me
A hive of honey bees.
I say
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth
The swing of my waist
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say
It's in the arch of my back
The sun of my smile
The ride of my breasts
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say
It's in the click of my heels
The bend of my hair
The palm of my hand
The need for my care.
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Maya Angelou






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The work of the mothers of our race is grandly constructive. It is for us to build above the wreck and ruin of the past more stately temples of thought and action. Some races have been overthrown, dashed in pieces, and destroyed; but to-day the world is needing, fainting, for something better than the results of arrogance, aggressiveness, and indomitable power. We need mothers who are capable of being character builders, patient, loving, strong, and true, whose homes will be uplifting power in the race. This is one of the greatest needs of the hour.

Francis Ellen Watkins







"FOR COLORED GIRLS...": Act One Scene One
dark phases of womanhood
of never havin been a girl
half notes scattered distraught laughter fallin
over a black girl's shoulder
it's funny/it's hysterical
the melody-less-ness of her dance
don't tell nobody
don't tell a soul
she's dancin on beer cans & shingles


this must be the spook house
another song with no singers
lyrics/no voices
& interrupted solos
unseen performances


are we ghouls?
children of horror?
the joke?


don't tell nobody
don't tell a soul
are we animals?
have we gone crazy?


i can't hear anythin
but maddening screams
& the soft strains of death
& you promised me
you promised me...
somebody/anybody
sing a black girl's song
bring her out
to know herself
to know you
but sing her rhythms
carin/struggle/hard times
sing her song of life
she's been dead so long
closed in silence so long
she doesn't know the sound
of her own voice
her infinate beauty
she's half-notes scattered
without rhythm/no tune
sing her sighs
sing the song of her possibilities
sing a righteous gospel
let her be born
let her be born
& handled warmly.

© Ntozake Shange









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BLACK WOMAN
Black,
And strong,
Different words,
Same meaning.
She is a strong black woman.

Captured and beaten,
Tied and bound,
You endured the Middle Passage,
Was dragged into a new land,
You held your head high.
You are a strong black woman.

In the fields all day,
Hot, blazing sun beating down,
They stripped away your language,
They took your clothing and made you look like a slave,
But you never bowed,
You are a strong black woman.

I saw you till the soil,
Bend your back to make things grow,
Saw you cooking food,
That you could not even eat,
Saw you washing clothes,
Mending shirts,
Growing flowers to adorn the house you could not sleep in.
And not once did you shed a tear,
You are a strong black woman.

They bred you like horses,
And sold your children like they were dogs,
They took them away in chains,
While you stood screaming,
And then you prayed to God,
Because you are a strong black woman.

In times of jim crow you shouldered the weight,
Brought food home when I could not even work,
Borne the children,
Cleaned the house,
And raised my children.
A strong black woman.

You brought God inside,
So we could talk,
About our toils and pain,
You sat Him there and He listened,
And gave us relief,
We marched for freedom,
And you were at my side.
Went to jail when I did,
Stayed awake and held me in your lap.
You comforted my every fear,
Gave me courage when I had none.
Washed my face with the hem of your dress,
Cleansed the matter from my eyes so I could see,
Prayed for me when I did not for my self.
You are a strong black woman.

You taught me to read
You taught me to write,
How to eat with a fork,
How to tie my tie,
You taught me grace and kindness,
You taught me how to treat my fellow man,
You found the goodness in my heart,
And nurtured it and made it grow.
For all you`ve done I can never repay,
Nor can I do the same for you,
And despite all of that... you smile at me,
And pull me to your bosom for love,
I thank God for you,
And that you are a strong black woman.

Andrew Johnson
Ebony Poet



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THE BLACK WOMAN



What could I possibly say
that can capture the essence of a black woman?
the fact is there are no words that can describe
the feelin' when you're in vibe
with a sister that is strivin' to be
all that she could be looking at history,
it was the black woman that pulled us through
centuries of strife often sacrificing her own life
for the welfare of generations to come
never to be undone by the tribulations she faced
the Black Woman, much love to you,
the backbone of our race you know,
sometimes when I walk across campus I have to stop,
and lift my hands up to Jesus and say "Thank Ya'!"
for puttin' melanin in my skin
cause' I can't begin to tell you How these anorexic,
rice-cake eatin', slim-fast sippin'
maybe-she's-born-with-it
make sure you get my good side come on...
Vogue runway walkers just won't do
because there's something about the way that you walk
and the way that you talk that's phenomenal
and it's a blessing how men will submit themselves
when the RIGHT ONE comes along
one who is strong and persevering,
yet gentle and caring
loves her man,
but doesn't need him to define her
has a mind of her own and knows how to use it
when I see a sistah like that for real, I lose it
(but I gotta play it cool, cause' I'm a man, you know what I'm saying?)
She could rock the natural locks
steal the show with a nappy fro
take it to the max with no lye relaxer
or let the weave fall to her knees
as long as she's pleased with who she is
then other jealous women can mind their biz
because a true black woman is who she aspires to be
and reflects those that represent the epitome of our ancestry
like Terry and Oprah,
Maya and Rose,
Harriet and Nikki,
Sojourner and Sonia,
Lauryn Hill killing us softly with her musical tracks,
Angela Bassett 'bout to tell us how Stella got her groove back
I could give a hundred names, but they all result in the same
magnificent being that has survived
and blossomed throughout the tests of time
the Black Woman
the light of the world
may your spirits continue to shine....
© 1998 Gerren Liles






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"> "> THE BLACK WOMAN From the sands of EGYPT you rose Coffee and carmel coated From your head to your toes Made of mud with perfect curvatures No need for clothes Naturally strong hair Full lips and nose The CREATOR made you for a reason And you were made FIRST As a guardian of this planet To watch over the Universe To be in touch with nature To, at times, exercise your wrath Lying your head in Ethiopia While in the Nile, taking a bath It is you and only your power Plus strength alone That can bring order to this planet And make a many atone So stand up BLACK WOMAN Shake the shackles from your mind Wash the process from your hair For, that's not what makes you fine You need not powder your face Nor place fake nails upon your hands There's no need to dress in skimpy outfits For, that pleases not , the TRUE BLACK MAN GET YOUR MIND TOGETHER STAND TALL, FIERCE AND PROUD REBUKE THE COLONIZER AND HIS WAYS LIFT YOUR HEAD UP TO THE CLOUDS Dance those dances, chant those chants Let your eyes fill with that gleam Bring justice to your Ancestors souls Who fought so hard against the so-called "AMERICAN DREAM" And together me and you, side by side Shall put an end to all the chaos and start winning By re-aligning ourselves with nature and the animals Just as we were in the very beginning... By: TONY B. CONSCIOUS ©1998 Conscious Enterprises



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