Who Will Revere the Black Woman?

Hopefully you! Be supportive to Black women writers here on Substack.

Beah Richard (left) Abbey Lincoln (right) activist, actresses and writers speaking truth to power.

Hi Subscribers to Anna’s Substack! Check your email. By lottery, I’ve gifted 8 to 10 subscribers a month subscription to enjoy a couple of Black women writers publishing on Substack. Please let me know you’ve seen the email. I hope you enjoy the content of (wo)menopause! and We Need A Black Women In Charge. Happy MLK Day, Black History Month and Women’s History Month!

Maybe you only started learning something about Black women when the first lady arrived, a Black woman. We didn’t just start voicing opinions with the rise of social media. We have always existed. Period. We been here!

“Who Will Revere The Black Woman”, is the title of an essay, by Abbey Lincoln, activist, writer, actress and singer of great jazz hits like my favorites “Throw It Away” and “Afro Blue,” which some of you may know from hearing Erykah Badu’s version. I read the essay as a student at Hunter College in a course called The Black Woman, handed out in a xeroxed copy, along with other essays the instructor, Dr. Richards, prepared for reading and discussion. It is still one of my favorite essays in the cannon of Africana Studies.

“A Black Woman Speaks of White Womanhood, of White Supremacy, of Peace,” is written by the activists, actress and writer Beah Richards. Her performance of the piece another treasure with words that ring true to this very moment.

Sip from these cups today. Allow them to nourish and move you to do whatever is your next. In the words of the great Abby Lincoln,

“You can never lose a thing, if it belongs to you.”

Right now, in this moment, I belong to me and you belong to you. Let’s hold each other steady with grace.