My Love Letter to Black Women

A love letter to black women:

Dear Black woman,

Your beauty has not been recognized. Instead, is has been scorned, hated, misrepresented. Dipped in gold, chocolate, caramel, and cinnamon, its uniqueness and variation has become too complex to be understood. It was this beauty that was misused by outsiders and fought for by our brothers only to be neglected by them years later.

It was this beauty and appearance that birthed a nation. Initially, you didn’t ask to be a mother. Motherhood chose us. Through rape and violence of the outsider, motherhood became the next step. So, you embraced and made it your own until our children were taken away from you forever because of the burden of slavery. Like Harriet Jacobs who hid in a tight area away from her children to secure their freedom, black slave motherhood implied sacrifices for liberation, even your own children.

Even today, black motherhood is difficult. You are by yourself raising multiple kids and being responsible for their life. Let me repeat, YOU ARE ALONE doing this. That alone speaks volumes to your strength and tenacity.

You come in all shapes and sizes. But, it is your thick thighs and wide hips that make your round figure one to be envied and celebrated. The same figure that encompasses the strength and beauty of Serena Williams is common in all of you. But just like Serena Williams, you have learned that your figure is not common to others. So, it is disrespected and despised. It is also appropriated, ironically.

Your love has been rejected and taken for granted. You have been abused, cheated on, and deeply hurt. But amid all of that, you continue to love as if no one has wronged you. Your love has become, in essence, unconditional. It has persisted so many different circumstances.

You have shaped pop culture. You are the maker of pop culture. Trends, hashtags, memes, music, and stories are all established by you. Like Oprah Winfrey, you have dominated the media industry and have blazed paths that were unfathomable. Like Beyonce, you have become a global phenomenon in which everything you touch turns to gold. Like Rihanna, your unapologetic fierceness and edginess have made you a force to be reckoned with. But just like them, your contributions to pop culture go unrecognized and unappreciated.

You have put men into space, set slaves free, ran the nation, won Olympic gold, been CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, desegregated schools, and broken barriers that no one knew you would cross.

But you knew. You knew how powerful you were since birth. You knew the power of your #blackgirlmagic . You knew you would survive the pain. And although your love has been neglected by many, even black men, just remember that your are loved. I love you, sis.

Love,

Sis

Solange's 'A Seat At The Table' Still Resonates With Me, Nearly Four Months Later

I know this is probably a day late and a dollar short. But "A Seat at the Table" is the best album that I have heard in a very long time. For me, it was not only the best album of 2016. It is the only album in which I have found peace, protection, and reflection. Listening to the album every day (literally), it has taken on the role as a religious act for me. I listen to it for comfort, strength, and solace. It gets me through those metaphoric metal clouds that occasionally get in the way of my black girl magic. The simplistic way to describe this masterpiece by Solange is to call it a "black woman's anthem".

But no. This album is so much more than that for me. It accurately depicts all of the micro-aggressions, the thoughts that could never be expressed, the livelihood, passion and pain, the heart and soul that encompasses black womanhood. After Lauryn Hill's " The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" was released, I have felt this musical void . There was this lack of relatability and sheer authenticity that I found common among the music that I was listening to. I went on this musical journey to find an artist that made me feel proud to simply be a black woman, that feeling that I felt when I listened to Lauryn Hill. Solange immensely filled that void, and my musical journey to genuine artistry came to an end.

One of the most interesting aspects of "A Seat at the Table" is that Solange wrote, co-produced, arranged, created all of the images (including the Mona Lisa-inspired cover art), lyrics, and instrumentation associated with it. That impressive work alone speaks volumes. It shows how dedicated Solange is to her art. As a black woman, to have that much control over anything (especially over something as powerful as the album) is a protest against societal implications.

But the most unique facet of the album is Solange's soft tone. Her soft and sweet tone juxtaposes the troubling oppressions of race and black womanism that encompass the album. That is the beauty of it. I'm pretty sure that Solange did this intentionally. Usually, black women are criticized for being loud and mad all the time; this has forced the emergence of the stereotype in being the "angry black women". But Solange's voice throughout the album immediately shatters that stereotype. She beautifully expresses the complexities of what it means to be black with a sweet falsetto, one that is reminiscent of the sounds of Aaliyah.

This work of art has become an important part of my daily routine. It's my comfort when I am confronted with my own "cranes in the sky". It has vividly expressed and addressed the conversations that were always thought about but never talked about. It is a black woman's journal. And it is a work of art that brilliantly captures my heart, mind, and soul.

The Untold Story of Rosa Parks

As Black History month is about to end, I thought that this story is one that needed to be shared because it is vaguely known.

Known for being the “mother of the civil rights movement” by refusing to give up her bus seat, a six-page essay written by Rosa Parks reveals her activism that is basically erased by history. Among other things, this essay reveals Parks’ rape by a white man while she was employed as a housekeeper in 1931. It was this incident that fueled Parks’ activism into investigating rapes of black women. Parks organized people in her community to advocate for Black women who were raped in Jim Crow South. She dedicated her work to protecting and defending black female rape victims as the secretary for the Montgomery NAACP. Parks was very instrumental in investigating the rape of Recy Taylor, who was a sharecropper gang raped by white men in 1944.

Reflecting on her own rape, Parks wrote “He moved nearer to me and put his hand on my waist. I was very frightened by now (or just plain scared to death).”

An excerpt from Rosa Park's Essay (AP Photo/Guernsey's)

Civil rights historian Danielle L. McGuire is author of the book At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance-A New History of the Civil Rights Movement From Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power that exposes the significance of women behind the Civil Rights movement and the dual hardship that they encountered because of their race and gender. Of Parks’ hidden truth, McGuire says, “Her story was pretty much well-rehearsed, and limited to her time in Montgomery and the bus incident. Her story had become mythic and iconic…..I can’t imagine what that felt like for her to have a whole history of activism and political work erased and turned almost into a cartoon character.”

It’s unfortunate that Rosa Parks’ work has to be marginalized to the bus boycott incident. Furthermore, there are many black women whose stories have been overlooked by society, either to the benefit of black men or white women. Rosa Parks is just one example. Nevertheless, Rosa Parks was a hero, an activist, an advocate who inspired a crucial movement, but her true story is neglected by the history books.

Why Isn't Anyone Talking About Essence Bowman?

Written in July 2016

In the wake of the Philando Castile and Alton Sterling killings, I immediately saw #EssenceBowman trending. Her name appeared in tweets like the one below calling for people to recognize the injustice done to Bowman

I instantly Googled the name "Essence Bowman", and there, to my dismay ( and surprise) ,was NOTHING.  There was absolutely nothing on the woman who reportedly died in police custody. Subsequently, I turned to Twitter to discover the true story of Essence Bowman. Bowman's sister, Mel Gleeson, (whose username is @irreverentfash on Twitter), has been demanding that media outlets and activists share her sister's story.

On June 21, the police were called to a motel where Bowman was in Sulphur, Louisiana, because of a disturbance, according to Bowman's sister. Bowman was intoxicated and had been abusing pain killers. Bowman was also not taking her bipolar medication. Subsequently, the police arrested Bowman and put her in the police car.  According to the police, Bowman somehow managed to escape from the locked police car and was fatally hit by a car.

The fishy thing about this situation is how did Bowman manage to escape a police car without the police aggresively chasing her? How was she able to escape the police car at all? Why would anyone who was intoxicated be running so fast that the police just decide to not chase her?

Additionally, the cops have not contacted the family at all, which makes this case even more suspicious.  Only the hospital got in touch with the family.

I had a chance to speak with Mel Gleeson, Bowman's sister. Bowman was married to Gleeson's brother before they separated.  The couple has three children together, and Bowman has another child from a different relationship.

Gleeson says, "Essence was sweet and soft spoken. When she was under treatment for her bipolar disorder, she was a hard-working mom." Essence has been aggressively seeking treatment for the past two years.

According to Gleeson, the only information that her family has is from Bowman's aunt demanding answers from Sulphur police. The Sulphur police claimed "she [Bowman] was strong", "she ran 100 yards", "she ran 200 yards", "the officer pursuing was out of shape".

How was Bowman able to be too fast for the police but not too fast for an oncoming car? How was she able to do any of that while intoxicated and on pain medication?

Instead of hearing of what happened to Bowman, her family was first contacted by the hospital that wanted to know if they could donate Bowman's organs. The police have still not contacted Bowman's family.

"I want people to know that she [Bowman] was loved. I want people to know that Sulphur Louisiana Police Department was responsible for her death. We want to know what really happened. Their version is missing significant details that could shed light on how a domestic disturbance became a death sentence", says Gleeson.

It has been two weeks, and hardly nothing is known about Essence Bowman. All that we do know is that she was a daughter, sister, and mother. She deserves justice. The fact that the police have failed to contact the family shows some duplicitous action on their part.

The fact that no news outlet is covering this is a constant reminder of the neglect that society has of black women. When the issues of black men in society are consistently brought to the forefront, the issues affecting black women in society become almost unknown.  It is as if no one cares.  The black women who are victims of police brutality are forgotten and overshadowed. It parallels black womens' role in society----neglected, hidden, alone, and abused.

Black women matter.

Alicia Keys Returns to Music Realer Than Ever

Written in June 2016

So real. So raw. I have "Fallin" for the essence of Alicia Keys since I was five years old. It was not because I related to her as we both sported the long braids or because of her genuine music. It was her activism and character as an artist that really resonated with me (the similar braid styles did not hurt either).

 But now that she has returned from her long hiatus, Alicia Keys is showing everyone "A Woman's Worth" and reminding me why I fell in love with her as a fan in the first place. It did not take me long to notice it, either. When Keys changed her social media icons and premiered her new song, "In Common", I instantly noticed her makeup-less face and head scarf.

In a Lenny Letter, the 15-time Grammy winning artist, says, "Before I started my new album, I wrote a list of all the things that I was sick of. And one was how much women are brainwashed into feeling like we have to be skinny, or sexy, or desirable, or perfect".

Keys' own intentions were not realized until photographer Paola Kudacki encouraged her to embrace her natural beauty.

"It wasn't until I walked into one of my first shoots for my new album recently that the issue was front and center again. I'd just come from the gym, had a scarf under my baseball cap, and the beautiful photographer Paola (never met a Paola I didn't like) said, "I have to shoot you right now, like this! The music is raw and real, and these photos have to be too!"

Subsequently, the singer started sharing photos of herself without makeup, starting the #nomakeup trend to motivate women to embrace their insecurities . Alicia Keys' raw appearance reflects the authenticity of her new music. "In Common" and "Hallelujah" are the latest singles to emerge from her upcoming album. "In Common" shares the struggles and problems of people in a relationship while "Hallelujah" evokes a feeling of hope and helplessness. Keys sings with so much passion and authenticity that her vocals become gritty and powerful. It sounds as if Keys poured all of her heart and soul into this new soulful sound. She seems more transparent in her music as she embraces her flaws. Nevertheless,  I'm loving every bit of it!

Alicia Keys is back; so raw, so real.

The Beauty of Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp A Butterfly'

Written in February of 2016

As the Grammy’s are underway (literally within a couple of hours), I though that I should reflect on the beauty and significance of Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly. Lamar is also the artist with the most nominations at tonight’s Grammy awards. I am actually re-listening to this iconic album as I am writing this post.

When I first heard the release date for TPAB, I did not know what to expect. I mean, I knew that it was going to be great, but I did not know that Kendrick Lamar was going to release this masterpiece. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon on the “Tonight Show”, Lamar mentioned that he was going to release TPAB as his debut album instead of good kid, m.A.A.d city, but he did not want to start off so strong with his latest album. Well, TPAB is the best album that I have heard in my life. Lamar did not explicitly captivate my attention until this album because of its political consciousness.

As if the album cover is not controversial yet powerful on its own, the lyrics that are displayed throughout the songs solidifies Kendrick Lamar’s significance within the hip-hop community. In fact, this is the album that I have been waiting to hear from modern hip-hop because the prevalence of trap music that has captured the ears of my generation has unfortunately decimated the essence of hip-hop. The message of today’s hip-hop has been suppressed to sex, money, and blatant materialism. That is why I am so thankful for Lamar revivingthe essence of hip-hop. TPAB features songs having subliminal messages that are made completely conscious and relevant to listen to.

The album is about a caterpillar (which is the black man) and the butterfly (which represents the unlimited potential and success that is within the black man and is heavily praised). However, the caterpillar is trapped inside of this cocoon (which represents society) that limits and metaphorically suffocates the caterpillar to the point that the caterpillar unfortunately believes that the butterfly is unattainable. So, the caterpillar has to find a way to pimp the butterfly. By discussing the difficulty of avoiding the temptations of the devil that is metaphorically characterized by using Lucy in the song “God is a Gangsta” to highlighting the issue of colorism in “Complexion (A Zulu Love)”, Lamar creates a story that is relevant within the African-American community.

It is not just the powerful messages that makes this album so unique; it is also the sound that completes this masterpiece. There is a funk sound that it prevalent throughout the entire album thanks to the help of Parliament (the funk group) leader George Clinton. His funk sound is greatly revealed in “Wesley’s Theory”. Additionally, the order of the tracks on the album and the producing is superb. It’s an artistic masterpiece. Kendrick Lamar reveals his old-soul personality by having snippets of Lalah Hathaway’s voice on “Momma”.

Nominated for eleven Grammy’s, this is a huge night for Kendrick Lamar. This probably the best year for Lamar, who has recently visited President Obama, who says Lamar is his favorite rapper, at the White House. On being nominated, Lamar says, “I want to win them all. It’s bigger than me. When we think about the Grammy’s, only Lauryn Hill and Outkast have won Album of the Year. This would be big for hip-hop culture at large.”