Sister Aja Monet's words are inspirational. Please read her article For Women, Love, and Hip Hop: A Reflection Eternal and share. She ends her piece with this amazing quote...
“As we move toward empowerment, we face the other inseparable question, what are we empowering ourselves for? In other words, how do we use this power we are reaching for? We can’t separate those two. June Jordan once said something which is just wonderful. I’m paraphrasing her—that her function as a poet was to make revolution irresistible. Well o.k. That is the function of us all, as creative artists, to make the truth, as we see it irresistible. That’s what I want to do with all of my writing.” - Audre Lorde
Its astounds me how much I have been guided and taught by other women of color that are of a different time, context, culture, space, and place.... my learning expereinces have taught me the deep power of understanding across difference and yet difference is still so painful, change is still so scary.
Today before I read Aja's powerful words, I had a long conversation with a close friend of mine about the politics of love as a painful process of change. Monet talks about this in her article but I can't help feel that she leaves out, or doesnt emphasize enough, how painfully uprooting loving our way out of ignorance can be. I sat on the phone for about two hours attempting to remind my friend and myself that despite our unhealthy habits and mistakes, we are worthy of what can be gained from the traumatic process of facing our wounds. This task is not easy but its all for love.
.... Love.... Love...... Love
I tattooed " Be Love" on my fore arm to remind myself of the necessity of this process. After I did it I immediately regretted having done it. It was ugly and after a few months it became cliche as fuck. the word love began to look up at me mockingly... As if knowing that it had been washed of all real meaning through its journey's across cheap tank tops spelled out in plastic glued on sparkles commercialized and commodified in every way possible. It had lost its sacredness to me. It was so vague and vast. It was nothing. And yet here a young poet redefines it purpose, its radical potential, and justifies its importants. I admire her and others like her for it (Hooks, Lorde, Perez, Anzaldua, Moraga etc). She attempts to make her defined truth irresistible in doing so she inspires me to define my own truth and the truth is I am scared. Scared of how powerful it might truly be to explore beyond the fear of pain.... but in some unfamiliar way I am held accountable to her words and am charged with the task of finding out what sacred potential hope can reveal in me. Thank you mother sisters for raising me. In Lak Ech.
That is all. Good Night