Powerful
Ambitious
Thirsty
Passionate
Diligent
These are all words that perfectly describe the Black Woman in her rawest form. These are simple words that personify her and give way to her strong mind. Powerful, ambitious, and thirsty for knowledge, the Black woman has effectively began to rise and melt the chains of ignorance and illiteracy that have kept her mind in slave quarters long after Emancipation.
As African American Women we have a testimony. We have overcome! We have successfully made it through the flames of racism, sexism and class-bound ideologies. Like grains of sand, scorched by these flames of oppression, we have matured into sharp pieces of glass, able to cut at the very ropes that continuously attempt to lynch our people. We are alive! We are human! We made it! “The quest for literacy was a symbolic manifestation of our desire for agency and autonomy.” Though our quest is not completely fulfilled, we are closer than ever before.
We have truly gone against the grain in our quest for literacy. In the face of opposition our foremothers took strides to ensure that we would be at this very place today- a place of security, knowing and wanting. “They were the storytellers” that lit up little faces on the plantation, issuing dreams and promises of the women that we are today. It is amazing to think that one day-not too long ago- some little girl dreamed of the freedom and power that we have today. Our history of struggling and persevering through the toils of slavery have molded us into ready-minded soldiers with our souls “fired with a holy zeal for freedom’s cause.”
“O, ye daughters of Africa, awake! Awake! Arise! No longer sleep nor slumber, but distinguish yourselves. Show forth to the world that ye are endowed with noble and exalted faculties… And where is the youth who has written upon his manly brow a thirst of knowledge; whose ambitious mind soars above trifles, and longs for the time to come, when he shall redress the wrongs of his father and plead the cause of his brethren?... Their souls would become fired with a holy zeal for freedom’s cause… Able advocates would arise in our defence. Knowledge would begin to flow, and the chains of slavery and ignorance would melt like wax before the flames” -Maria W. Stewart
Danielle Winfrey
I really liked the quote at the end. Its like she is provoking the women and community to be aware and sensible of thier social conditions. She clearly believes that knowledge is the best defence.
ReplyDelete~Morgan V. Mckenzie
The fact that Black women have been going against the grain and that we keep perservering through all that is thrown at us is a testament to our strength. We are powerful, thirsty, ambitious, passionate, and diligent to all the goals that we want to pursue. We will stop at nothing to get what we want in order to be productive citizens of society and to uplift our race. We have become sharp pieces of glass as we are the biggest competitors in the classroom and the boardroom. We will continue to meet the challenges that we face as we always have: with grace, class, and a perserverance that will never falter.
ReplyDeleteJasmine Bryant
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ReplyDeleteThis post is so much more powerful than words could embrace. When Danielle explained her thoughts about the reading, I tried to visualize it in my head. Little did I know how powerful the piece really was. Sometimes, as Black women, we get discouraged by the weight and burdens of our hardsips; we must gain understanding of how hard our foremothers faught and prayed us into this freedom. Their fight and prayers would have been in vein if we did not attempt to become the best that we can. In order to achieve complete success as a person, we have to embrace literacy and knowledge. We have to embrace the "...simple words that personify her and give way to her strong mind." As we read the different essays and articles for this english class, I am realizing who I am and what will make me stronger and better as a Black woman.
ReplyDelete~Sojourner Ballard
I like how you paralleled glass that was burned from grains of sand to the empowerment of Black women. I especially like the comparison of racism and sexism to the flames that burn the sand. In a sense, you showed that through our struggles we found strength.
ReplyDelete-Lauren T.
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ReplyDeleteThis article gives in full detail the epitomy of how it feels for a Black woman who is struggling to rise from those struggles and her mind be totally liberated. I love this blog because it is really powerful and I feel that it had great imagery. I could feel the emotion and strengths through the writing. It excited me to know how much we have overcome!!!
ReplyDelete-Jessica Fitzgerald
I absolutely loved reading your blog post. It was very powerful and had great imagery. I love how you compared black women to grains of sand and how the flames of oppression have made us turn into glass. That statement is so profound and makes me realize just how strong black women are. We do not allow the things that are supposed to break us, defeat us. Jerrika Leslie
ReplyDeleteFirst I would like t osay "KUDOS" on a very well written, passionate post. I agree that as Black women our struggles with racism and sexism have given us strength and power to assert ourselves as human beigns. We have taken that strength and manifested it ways that have produced immaculate change. As we have developed literacy and education, we have been able to fight new battles, and our weapons are our words; our weapons are our intelligence. From reading "Going Against the Grain" I have become contious of the power of knowledge and that its a most cherishable gift, one that no one can take away from you once acquired. Great Job AGAIN!!!
ReplyDeleteTaylor Hawkins