| Title: | ARCHIVE-- Topics of Interest to Women, Volume 1 --ARCHIVE |
| Notice: | V1 is closed. TURRIS::WOMANNOTES-V5 is open. |
| Moderator: | REGENT::BROOMHEAD |
| Created: | Thu Jan 30 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Fri Jun 30 1995 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 873 |
| Total number of notes: | 22329 |
This note is for the words of women of color on the special
difficulties they face with prejudice -- racism from women, sexism
from men.
I would prefer that this note _not_ include any discussion, per
se. Discussion should be taken to 710.*.
Appropriate for this note: personal experiences ("clicks"), extracts
of speeches, essays, poetry, stories.
Men of all races and white women may contribute _only_ with direct
quotations of women of color -- take the commentary to 710.* please.
Lee
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 711.1 | The Tired Poem | GCANYN::TATISTCHEFF | Lee T | Sun Feb 07 1988 20:39 | 165 |
By Donna Kate Rushin �1979 From _Home_Girls_A_Black_Feminist_Anthology_ edited by Barbara Smith � 1983 The Tired Poem: Last Letter From a Typical Unemployed Black Professional Woman So it's a gorgeous afternoon in the park It's so nice you forget your Attitude The one your mama taught you The one that says Don't-Mess-With-Me You forget until you hear all this Whistling and lip-smacking You whip around and say I ain't no damn dog It's a young guy His mouth drops open Excuse me Sister How you doing You lie and smile and say I'm doing good Everything's cool Brother Then five minutes later Hey you Sweet Devil Hey girl come here You tense sigh calculate You know the lean boys and bearded men Are only cousins and lovers and friends Sometimes when you say hey You get a beautiful surprised smile Or a good talk And you've listened to your uncle when he was drunk Talking about how he has to scuffle to get by and How he'd wanted to be an engineer And you talk to Joko who wants to be a singer and Buy some clothes and get a house for his mother The Soc and Psych books say you're domineering And you've been to enough Sisters-Are-Not-Taking-Care-Of-Business discussions To know where you went wrong It's decided it had to be the day you decided to go to school Still you remember the last time you said hey So you keep on walking What you too good to speak Don't nobody want you no way Ho' You go home sit on the front steps and listen to Your neighbor's son brag about How many girls he has pregnant You ask him if he's going to take care of the babies What if he gets taken to court And what are the girls going to do He has pictures of them all This real cute one was supposed to go to college Dumb broad knew she could get pregnant I'll just say it's not mine On the back of this picture of a girl in a cap and gown It says something like I love you in my own strange way Thank you Then you go into the house Flip through a magazine and there is An Ode-To-My-Black-Queen poem The kind where the Brother Thanks all of the Sisters who endured Way back when he didn't have his Shit Together And you wonder where they are now And you know what happens when you try to resist All of this Enduring And you think how this Thank-you poem is really No consolation at all Unless you believe What the man you met on the train told you The Black man who worked for the State Department And had lived in 5 countries He said Dear you were born to suffer Why don't you give me your address And I'll come visit So you try to talk to your friend About the train and the park and everything And how it all seems somehow connected And he says You're just a Typical Black Professional Woman Some sisters know how to deal Right about here Your end of the conversation phases out He goes on to say how Black Professional Women have always had the advantage You have to stop and think about that one Maybe you are supposed to be grateful for those sweaty Beefy-faced white businessmen who try to pick you up at lunchtime And you wonder how many times your friend has had pennies thrown at him How many times he's been felt up in the subway How many times he's been cussed out on the street You wonder how many times he's been offered $10 for a piece of himself $10 for a piece So you're waiting for the bus And you look at this young Black man Asking you if you want to make some money You look at him for a long time You imagine a little dingy room at the Y It would only take you 20 minutes or less You think about how you only get $15 for spending all day with 30 kids And how nobody is offering you Any cash for your poems You remember again how you have the advantage How you're not taking care of business How this man is somebody's kid brother or cousin and he could be your own So you try to explain how $10 wouldn't pay for what you'd have to give up He pushes a handful of sticky crumpled dollars into your face and says Why not You think I can't pay Look at that roll Don't tell me you don't need the money Cause I know you do I'll give you 15 You maintain your sense of humor You remember a joke you heard Well no matter what A Black Woman never has to starve Just as long as there are Dirty toilets and... Somehow it isn't funny Then you wonder if he would at least Give you the money And not beat you up But you're very cool and say No thanks You tell him he should spend his time Looking for someone he cares about Who cares for him He waves you off Get outta my face I don't have time for that bullshit You blew it Bitch Then (Is it suddenly) Your voice gets loud And fills the night street Your voice gets louder and louder You bus comes The second shift people file on The watchmen and nurse's aides Look at you like you're crazy Get on the damn bus And remember You blew it He turns away Your bus pulls off There is no one on the street but you And then It is Very Quiet | |||||
| 711.2 | Yup, its a Double Whammy alright! | SCOMAN::FOSTER | Tue Feb 09 1988 13:07 | 37 | |
This is a quick note as my lunch break is ending. But its been discussed
among friends and acquaintances recently, so I'll try to share it.
My personal feeling has always been that I am lost without both
movements, because neither addresses all of the issues. Without
the women's movement, I wouldn't have credit, voting rights, and
a myriad of other things that I personally value. Without the civil
rights movement, I again wouldn't have voting rights, or the right
in some states (I'm from a somewhat southern state) to go to the
nearest bathroom or hospital or hotel. I tend to value the later
more, and often I agree with some of my black sisters that the civil
rights movement is more pertinent to me. But I'm ever conscious
of the *need* to raise women's issues, especially since *I* feel
that black men are so caught up in civil rights that they forget
to share the freedoms they win with their mates. Sometimes, black
men seem far more conservative and chauvanistic than their white
counterparts. And black women are often torn between resisting and
refuting this or being passively supportive and understanding of
the oppression that the men are dealing with. Basically, its just
not easy.
By the way, I ramble frequently.
At any rate, the other quickie I wanted to mention was the personal
observation of a friend who is convinced that the white women around
her are out to get her because she's black and is achieving some
success in her career. There are two conflicting myths that abound.
One, that being a double minority is hard, the other that being
a double minority makes it easy. Think affirmative action and quotas
for the latter, and ease of acceptance for the first. I'd love to
see any discussion that this generates; for the moment I have a
meeting to run to. But I'll write something a bit more meaningful
later. And I'll pass the word about this topic. (Karen, where are
you!)
Lauren Foster
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