naked

there is a book you need to buy, or get from the library, or tell your library to buy, or just go to the bookstore and pull up a chair and devote an afternoon and devote a some time to reading - every page, cover to cover. and then tell your mamanem and your sisters and friends, and your brothers and your boyfriends too. this is not an optional assignment, ya heard? miss glory is serious, now.

the name of the book is "naked: black women bare all about their skin, hair, hips, lips, and other parts." the editors are two sisters, ayana byrd and akiba solomon, and there is a foreword by sonia sanchez. it is published by penguin, and i saw it in borders express and in barnes and noble. try amazon too. or even better, your local black book merchant. however you get your hands on it, please, read this book!

and then discuss the book which is full of stories and observations from black women of different sizes and hues and ages, who are talking about their perceptions of their own bodies and how their perceptions have impacted the various facets of their lives. and then write your own story, like i did. and if you're comfortable, share the stories with each other. so we will understand each other more.

i am coming to the realization that the ability to understand and claim and change our lives, individually and collectively, is inextricably connected to our ability to put words to our feelings and thoughts and then say them shout them even whisper them if we have to. this book (and me thinking too much) has me thinking about why maya angelou's autobiography is so soul stirring. why the journals i've been keeping since i was seven are among my most treasured possessions. why uncle tom's cabin got the abolitionists all stirred up. why the constitution of the united states makes people marvel. why the "i have a dream" speech stops people in their tracks. why i can't get enough of reading and writing. communication is powerful. it can complicate things or make them plain. it can make people think, incite them to action, calm storms... i'm awed by it every time i see how communication moves people.

anyway, like i said, i am serious about that book - i ain't playing. make it a christmas present for the maturing teenage girls you love. even read your favorite parts to your significant other. just make sure you at least get to reading!!!



(happy birthday tasha! love you!)