A woman is an enigma wrapped in strength engraved with love...
Ain't I a Woman, Too? poem from the workbook, Powetry - Reclaim Your Power Thru Poetry
My Inspiration
One night, I was laying on my bed, eyes opened, and staring at the ceiling. I was contemplating my struggles and accomplishments as a woman and as an African-American woman. I had begun to notice a shift, a change in the mindset of women and men in the world. I noticed that women were stepping up, taking more leadership roles, advancing politically, economically, and academically, However, we still had a ways to go. We weren't quite in the place that we wanted. We still struggled nationally and internationally. We were still facing income inequality - for every $1 that a man earned in the US, we made only $0.77. We were still lagging behind in STEM and political fields. We had more "Firsts" to obtain. I then began to think about all the women who had come before me and those making changes in the present day. As my mind shifted to poetry, of course, Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman" speech came to mind. She also gave that speech during a time when American women were making changes and fighting for their rights, as well as the rights of African-Americans and other people of color.
So, I decided to make a tribute to Sojourner Truth, to the strong women of our pasts and the change-makers before us today. I decided to write this poem to challenge myself to do more as a woman and inspire other women to do the same. I decided to write this poem for the:
Teen girl as she begins the struggle with her body image
Businesswoman struggling to bring her ideas to the marketplace
Woman politician looking for equal representation
Academic advancement of women
Protective reproductive rights of all women
Ain't I a Woman, Too? : Take Home Message
We are all in this together - women and men. We need to help and protect each other, to respect and be kind to each other. Men, don't look at us as the weaker sex without a backbone. Women, let us step up and help reduce the burden Women, let us no longer look upon each other as opposition or competition. Let us continue to pull from the strength and bravery of our women ancestors and our sisterhood. Let us ALL continue to positively ADVANCE...