Wrong Is Not Our Name, Promoting the Healing of Black Women Through Poetry and Theater Arts

Michael Jackson Daddy Music

winonsite — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:47:36 +0000

Michael Jackson Daddy Music By Jessica Ann Mitchell

My mama cried out from the living room
I heard her in the driveway
Could feel the tears as she
Mourned in front of the computer screen
He’s Dead
“Oh no
He’s dead!”
Little Michael
ABC 123 Michael
1 year younger than her
Icon she watched when all the brown children sported
Afros and Bellbottoms while singing Rockin Robin
What happened to little mike
That beautiful brown boy
Wide nosed boy
5 make you feel fine
Vibe
All the way live boy
It doesn’t matter
What they say against you
We love you
Our
Daddy Music
Won’t know how to
Groove without you
You you
Wonder
They wondered good lord
What make that boy man king
Move like that
We said
He is we is
Wonder thunder Black Joy unveiling
Michael…Michael
What happened?
Why bless us
Lift us
Astound us
And leave us
So soon?
Shall we rock you
Dance you
Love you tonight
Michael?
Little Michael
Thriller in the mirror machine
Dancing on moons
Smooth Dangerous Beatin It Down Criminal
Don’t Stop Don’t Stop
We ain’t got
Enough
Little Michael
Sleep
We’ll sing to you now
All the soul you fed us
Sleep
We’ll dance for you now
All the Spirit you gave us
Sleep
Glistening Gliding Golden Wonder
Little Michael
Sleep
We’ll remember the time
And
we will
Never say goodbye

By Jessica Ann Mitchell

: Michael Jackson Daddy Music Poem

Climate Change Is A Black Women’s Issue

winonsite — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:29:31 +0000

Jessica Ann Mitchell

     In 2005, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and
Redefining Progress released a research report called, African
Americans and Climate Change: An Unequal Burden. The report
noted that climate change is already in the process of attributing to
160,000 deaths annually. Furthermore, African Americans are prone
to respiratory problems in that over 70% of African Americans live
in districts that are violating “federal air pollution standards”(2005
p.5). There are 44 recognized major U.S. metropolitan areas. In all
of them, African Americans are more likely to be subjected to
levels of toxic air pollution that are higher than those whites
maybe subjected to. Thus, hospital visits and deaths caused by
asthma are more likely to occur among African Americans to the
rate of 3 times that of other races (CBCF 2005). In the northern
states it is predicted that heat waves due to climate change will
effect New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit. As stated
earlier, an increase in diseases such as malaria are predicted to
affect the southern states. All of these areas are known to be
inhabited by large concentrations of African American people. Yet
white Americans are 50 times more likely to have health insurance
than African Americans. Furthermore, African American homes emit
fewer amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in
comparison to other races at the rate of 20% less (CBCF 2005).
       The same can be said for African and other developing
countries whose CO2 emissions are profoundly lower than the
emissions of European countries. All countries on the African
continent combined only attribute to 3.5% of all CO2 emissions in
the world in comparison to the 22% emitted by the U.S. alone (UNEP
2000, EIA 2005). Yet it is estimated that Africans numbering from 75
to 250 million will face water shortages in 2020 (IPCC 2007). This will
also affect 50% percent of agricultural crops that are dependent on
water for nourishment (IPCC 2007). In Latin America, there are 150
million African descendants, making them the largest group of
Africans outside of Africa. In Brazil alone, there are 80 million
African descendants. They make up 48% of the Brazilian population,
yet 78% of these 80 million African descendants are below the
poverty line (Morrison 2007). Twenty six percent of the Colombia
population is African descendants, yet they make up 75% of the
impoverished in Columbia (Morrison 2007). Due, to climate change,
Latin America will also be hit by water and food shortages in the
near future (IPCC 2007). The people mostly affected by these
shortages will be the poor, meaning the African descendants.
       Climate Change is an issue that is dramatically affecting the
world as we know it but even more specifically, the Pan-African
World. The problem here is that these issues have not been
studied in-depth by those in the field of Pan-Africanism and Black
Studies. Both Africans on the continent and African descendants
throughout the Diaspora have already begun to unjustly reap the
negative consequences of climate change; which has been mainly
caused by the greenhouse gas emissions of industrially advanced
and or developed nations. One of the causes of climate change
includes the burning of enormous amounts of fossil fuel. (Uwaza,
2003). The earth’s atmosphere then becomes oversaturated with
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) which causes an enhancement of the widely
discussed greenhouse effect.
The greenhouse effect is described as the process in which heat
is trapped in the earth’s atmosphere. This, in turn, causes a
warming of the planet. Part of this process is natural and part of it
is human induced through the burning of natural gas, oil, and
gasoline (EPA 2007). Sixty four percent of the greenhouse effect is
attributed to Carbon Dioxide levels (Uzawa, 2003). Consequently,
the temperatures begin to rise to unusual levels (EPI, 2005). As
Uzawa (2003) states, “an excess concentration of atmospheric
carbon dioxide would warm the globe significantly” (p. 11). The top
five countries that emit the most CO2s into the atmosphere are:
the United States, China, the Russian Federation, Japan and India
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1998).
       According to the Center for Disease control (2007), climate
change is going to have damaging effects on the sustainability of
humanity. The effects of climate change include stronger
hurricanes and other storms, flooding, rising sea levels, droughts
in some areas, and extreme rainfall in others (Uwaza, 2003). This
will in turn cause a rapid spread of disease, heat strokes,
drowning, asthma attacks, and etc. It is also noted that the people
who will be affected by these changes the most are likely to be
those with low socio-economic statuses (CDC, 2007).
       Developing countries, with their low participation in
contributing to global warming, will also be heavily affected. In fact,
developing countries will be more affected than developed
countries that sometimes benefit from global warming (Uwaza,
2003). Thus, people of color who have historically faced world wide
discrimination based on racism and classism are even more at risk
when it comes to climate change. Many communities with people of
color have been marginalized globally and endure inequalities that
affect the quality of their lives and the ability to sustain life. Any
economic challenges or increases in economic disparities could
have devastating effects on their everyday lives, especially in
relationship to climate change. People with low socio-economic
statuses do not possess the economic power to combat climate
change. Furthermore, the burden of enduring the negative effects
of climate change is placed on their shoulders by those nations,
companies, and organizations that have contributed substantially
to this problem and possess the economic capacity to stop this
injustice.
       Women of color specifically face a particular type of
oppression when it comes to climate change because of the
intersection of racism, sexism, and classism (Malveaux 1986). In
the mist of Climate Change, for example, African American women
in Atlanta, GA struggle against rising costs of living, including
rising food prices and medical bills. Still, African Americans emit
lower amounts of CO2 emissions than other races in the U.S (CBCF
2004). On the other hand, African women of Imbaseni village of Maji
ya Chai, Tanzania struggle against the rising costs of living,
including the cost of fertilizers, the inability to render crops for
sale, and medical expenses. This is because irregular changes in
the climate alter the success of agriculture. Yet, the entire
continent of Africa is only responsible for 3.5% of the world’s CO2
emissions (UNEP 2000, EIA 2005). Thus, African and African
descended women similarly face increased hardships due to
climate change and already existing economic inequalities.

Jessica Ann Mitchell
copyright www.winonsite.com

I Speak My Truth From My Heart Iyanla Vanzant Acts of Faith Excerpt

winonsite — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 05:40:52 +0000

Free yourself from stress, anger, sadness, and pain. You can harness your inner strength by using your voice and speaking truth. This is one of the greatest healing mechanisms. The following quote explains the importance of Black Women using their voices to secure personal freedom. (www.winonsite.com)

Iyanla Vanzant Acts of Faith Excerpt Published 1993

Saying what you really think, feel or believe is often difficult. Usually you don’t want to hurt other people’s feelings. Even when they infuriate you, you don’t want to make someone mad. The real truth of the matter is, somewhere deep down inside, you don’t believe your feelings are “right” or that you have the “right” to feel the way you do. When you hold on to feelings you become angry, fearful and confused. When you don’t say what is on your mind you will be prone to gossip, rebel or commit acts of betrayal against yourself and others. The only you free yourself from the stress of not saying what you think is to speak your truth with love, clarity and conviction. And to speak it quickly with a conscious tongue.

Iyanla Vanzant Feb 25 Acts of Faith Excerpt

Audre Lorde A Litany For Survival

winonsite — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 02:07:04 +0000

This poem expresses Black women’s need to write and express themselves. We must write in order to live to, it is essential to our survival. We can’t worry about what others think of us, our stories, or our art. We must focus on living and securing our rights as human beings. Through art, we can make all things possible. (www.winonsite.com)

A Litany For Survival by Audre Lorde

For those of us who live at the shoreline
standing upon the constant edges of decision
crucial and alone
for those of us who cannot indulge
the passing dreams of choice
who love in doorways coming and going
in the hours between dawns
looking inward and outward
at once before and after
seeking a now that can breed
futures
like bread in our children’s mouths
so their dreams will not reflect
the death of ours:

For those of us
who were imprinted with fear
like a faint line in the center of our foreheads
learning to be afraid with our mother’s milk
for by this weapon
this illusion of some safety to be found
the heavy-footed hoped to silence us
For all of us
this instant and this triumph
We were never meant to survive.

And when the sun rises we are afraid
it might not remain
when the sun sets we are afraid
it might not rise in the morning
when our stomachs are full we are afraid
of indigestion
when our stomachs are empty we are afraid
we may never eat again
when we are loved we are afraid
love will vanish
when we are alone we are afraid
love will never return
and when we speak
we are afraid our words will not be heard
nor welcomed
but when we are silent
we are still afraid

So it is better to speak
remembering
we were never meant to survive