Ek'abo
Ebi! (Welcome Family!)
That man over there says that women need to be helped
into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere.
Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best
place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and
planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a
woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it -
and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children,
and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's
grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?
“Ain’t I a Woman?”
Sojourner Truth (1797 – 1883)
Abolitionist and Women’s Rights Activist
I
read this excerpt from Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t
I a Woman?”, and I thought of all the trials and tribulations women of
color faced and continue to face through their lives. Starting with slavery; moving on to racism;
stepping into our battle for women’s liberation during the Civil Rights
Movement and of course affirmative action.
With all the battles we fought to gain our rights, to gain our freedoms,
it’s beautiful to see one of us excel “once again” in our chosen field.
On
Sunday night, Lupita Nyong'o won her first Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting
Role for her role as Patsey in 12 Years a
Slave. In addition to her win, she
is the first black African (Kenyan) actress to be nominated as well as the first
black African actor to win in any category. When you look at her you would
never believe that she ever suffered from lack of self-confidence or had an
issue with the way she looked. In a piece
written by Solomon Jones of the blog The
Philadelphia Experiment, Jones stated:
“As a child, Nyong'o, the daughter of a
Kenyan senator, believed that there was something ugly about her
chocolate-colored skin. She was teased
about her complexion, and later recalled in interviews that she would go to bed
asking God for lighter skin, only to awaken to the disappointment of unanswered
prayers. This brilliant, beautiful woman saw her color as something to
overcome.”
I
hope that women like those in the Dark
Girls documentary and others who don’t see their beauty when they stand
before a mirror, or don’t hear that they are beautiful even when someone tells
them so, look at Lupita’s win as one more incredible achievement not only for WOC
but also for women of color who possess a darker hue.
As black
women, we were stripped of respect, stripped of pride, stripped of an
appreciation of our beauty. We were led
to believe that we needed to look a certain way to fit in to society. Unfortunately some of us still feel this way.
Bleaching, perming (no offense sisters) whatever we needed to do; incapable for
decades of appreciating our god given beauty, our natural locks, our beautiful shape.
As a
woman of a darker complexion, I have never found myself in a situation where I
had a problem with my skin color. So it angers me when someone less than
worthwhile, uses someone’s weakness, someone’s inability to see their beauty,
as a way to crush them underfoot and tell them they are less than nothing.
It
does my heart good to know that the Academy continues to improve. Continues to
see black actresses for the emotion, intensity and talent they bring to the
game and will continue to bring to Hollywood.
Lupita
Nyong’o has sojourned to her truth. Her
belief that she is beautiful, that she is talented has led her here. Her role
as a new actress is temporary. She has now reached a goal that will lead her
towards superstardom. I look forward to
seeing what the future holds for this Kenyan actress.
Mari
e laipe!
See
you soon!
S-
*****
Thanks
for visiting ‘Amachi is Hope.’ If you were inspired or felt a connection
with today’s blog (or any of my previous entries) please leave a comment. J
