In the Black History Month collection "Black-nificence: Stories of Black Resistance", our writers seek a sense of self through art, community, emotion, and independence.
These poets and memoirists eschew stereotypes as they carve out their own sense of what it means to be Black and resilient in America.
Look me in the eyes when I laugh. Look at our Black bodies that aren’t just bodies and our Black laughter that will never know death, even when we do. Even if we do.
This poem is dedicated to culture, lost identities, and the truth that it’s never too late to connect back to your roots that were taken away from you.
I made this presentation because within American society, black women are at the bottom of the totem pole. Whenever we speak up to defend ourselves, we are seen as aggressive, overbearing, and too much to handle. This common approach to our struggles reinforces the denials of our pain and further pushes preconceived notions from those we’ve yet to meet. I don’t want black women to humble themselves in order to not be seen as a stereotype.
Like blackbirds we lived in a constant state of struggle trying to survive. Every time we tried to fly there were others pecking away at our wings. Like that bird, fueled by our need to survive, we learned to soar.