Sha’Condria “iCon” Sibley performs “Working Title” at the 2016 Bayou City Slam at the Alley Theater in Houston, Texas. The poem highlights many of the thoughts and reflections on the results of the recent 2016 presidential election. The poem uses the format of a working title infused with sarcasm and humor to address many Americans' concerns about the newly elected president and the future of this country.
In this beautiful poem and short film, poet Grace Salvant navigates an internal struggle about a fleeting encounter with a white man.
Many Black women are taught to only view Black men as romantic partners. "Like most Black women, I was conditioned to pledge allegiance to the Black man," Salvant told For Harriet via email. "That he already has enough on his plate so I should be his primary support system. That dating outside my race was a betrayal to my ancestors."
Though she's forged her own views on partnership, Salvant still experiences conflicted feelings about the encounter.
"The poem really just captures my excitement which was halted by my hesitance, trapped by my reluctance, wrapped up by, what I know now to be, a false sense of guilt," she said.
Beyoncé's "Formation" was an unapologetic call to slay.
Ernestine Johnson took Queen Bey's rallying cry a step further by reinterpreting the song as an explicit demand for solidarity among Black women and girls.
Dressed up in a Black bodysuit and bullet vest reminiscent of what Beyoncé wore to the Super Bowl, Ernestine underscores the importance of collaboration. "If I could talk to my 10 year old self, I would tell her not to be jealous or envy," she rhymes. Flanked by little natural-haired girls, she declares that everyone has their strengths, so the key is working together.
After yesterday's announcement that the officers responsible for 12-year-old Tamir Rice's death last November would not be indicted for his murder, many of us took to social media to express our heartbreak, outrage, and confusion.
Poet Theresa Davis has a few words for politicians who try to dictate what women do with their vagina and who try to halt the reproductive rights of women in America.
In the poem "Master Piece" poet Salena Burch eloquently explains the thoughts that went through her mind when a classmate said to her, "I'd totally date you, if you weren't Black." These piercing words bring up thoughts of what Burch's ancestors went through for her right to sit in the classroom with this classmate who does not see that her African ancestry makes her a masterpiece.
We've all been there. You meet someone, invest your time and energy only to find they aren't nearly as interested as you are. This process of untangling your emotions from a distant would-be partner can be difficult. Hopefully we get through it and learn to be vulnerable again.
