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