What Does It Mean To Be A Black Woman? A Poem.

I am often judged before a crowd

my clothes make me a target

mama says I have to be careful

my color makes me a target

because I am black

 

I cannot walk the streets alone at night

because I am black and am woman

 

they tell me to show emotion but

not too much because I am a black woman

 

they say the most powerful thing I have

is between my legs because I am woman

 

I, they tell me, am usually

from a broken home because I’m black

 

I’ll never be as good as my male

counterparts because I am woman

 

I am often judged before a crowd

my body is a public temple repairable

by man I am to be seen like decoration

because I am woman

 

I am the unwanted immigrant

my contributions mean nothing

because I am black

 

I have to aspire to perfection.

I have to realize rarely I am

good enough because I am woman

 

I am the style that everyone has

everyone wants the benefits without

having to be me- cultural appropriation

they tell me, is not real

 

I am the minority that produces the majority

I am the flower that suffers in the winter

gallantly swaying in the wind. my history is not told

in truth I am the minority they wish was quiet I am

the roll of thunder at the crack of injustice

 

I am Sybrina Fulton

 

I stand in the puddle of my son’s blood

gazing at an unreal sight

 

I am the double minority, the unappreciated.

I am the black woman.

 


More Poems:

“Peace”: You Have To Read This Powerful Poem About Police Violence

Young Politician: A Poem

 

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Cover Photo Credit: Boston Public Library/ Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

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About the Author
Keydra Jones is a senior at the University of New Orleans who will be graduating in December. She is majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Legal Studies and a minor in English. She aspires to be a lawyer focusing her energy on helping others in anyway she can.
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