WE Survive Abuse: Black Women Existing in Writing

“Hunger erased all traces of love
so I packed my philosophy and left
My philosophy being simply
I can do better by myself”― Margaret H. Oliver,

A Woman’s Place: The Complete Poetry Collection of Margaret Oliver

“Becoming a mother forced me to have hope.”
― Nefertiti Austin,

Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender, and Parenting in America

“What else must we do and say?

What else must the oppressed do for a taste of freedom?”
― Malebo Sephodi

(from Goodreads.com)

“Most Black lesbians were closeted, correctly recognizing the Black community’s lack of interest in our position, as well as the many more immediate threats to our survival as Black people in a racist society. It was hard enough to be Black, to be Black and female, to be Black and female, and gay. To be Black, female, gay, and out of the closet in a white environment, even to the extent of dancing in the Bagatelle, was considered by many Black lesbians to be simply suicidal.”
― Audre Lorde, Zami: A New Spelling of My Name

“Feminism is a woman’s vehicle to human agency and fully fulfilling her chosen destiny without interruption.”
― Fee Scott

(from Goodreads.com)

“Faith has taught me to see the miraculous in everyday life: the miracle of ordinary black women resisting and rising about evil forces in society, where forces work to destroy and subvert the creative power and energy my mother and grandmother taught me God gave black women.”
― Delores Williams

“She is a beautiful, powerful badass woman who sometimes falls apart inside after she drops her bags by the door and tosses her stilettos. Her vulnerability at night helps her to rise stronger in the morning.”
― J. Autherine,

Wild Heart, Peaceful Soul: Poems and Inspiration to Live and Love Harmoniously

“Rare is the ministry praying that they would be worthy of the giftedness of Black minds and hearts.”
― Austin Channing Brown,

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness

“The voice of a Black woman should always be HERSELF …

No edits – no erasure – no pressure – no expectations – no additions – no intruders”
― Malebo Sephodi

“The way black women say “girl” can be magical. Frankly, I have no solid beliefs about the survival of consciousness after physical death. But if it’s going to happen I know what I want to see after my trek toward the light. I want to see a black woman who will smile and say, “Girl….”
― Abigail Padgett, Blue

“What keeps a poor child in Appalachia poor is not what keeps a poor child in Chicago poor – even if from a distance, the outcomes look the same. And what keeps an able-bodied black woman poor is not what keeps a disabled white man poor, even if the outcomes look the same.”
― Ijeoma Oluo,

So You Want to Talk About Race

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