If you were to ask me when I fell in love with words, I would tell you I don’t know.
I would tell you that I fell in love with language and accents first. I fell in love with storytelling before I ever wrote a story down. I believe it is with that particular proclivity, that made room to love words.
From that, yields the roux for creativity.
Some use color to paint the world. My color has syllables.
This is a book that I didn’t think I would ever write. I promise you that I didn’t! But let me back up a little.
I have been in on TikTok (Be a cool kid and follow me–@whatjayesaid2.0) for over a year, and from me getting involved in this debacle of dating, being the right kind of Black woman, and falling into the hands of the Red Pill Army, and that fire Audre Lorde told me I had was the only way I could free myself!
From that, began the storytelling. In this book, there are over 100 stories!
These stories are from women (and some men) whom all walks of life!
From a woman whose great-grandmother ‘shot up the house of the side chick’ and stole her groceries, to a grandma who set her husband on fire, and a grandmother who emptied a clip into a coffin of her dead husband after dragging his side chick for crying too loud in church!
These stories are not an endorsement of violence, by no means! It is proof that these ‘traditional women’ this Red Pill Army wants–don’t exist. And they never did.
Thank you so much, Jayebirds!
Trust–there is a Volume Two coming.
Dr. Carter G. Woodson is an unsung hero. In the creation of Negro History Week, the magnitude of what he found—and what children that looked like him needed to know. With the advantage of time, we know what a vision this is, and what it means to participate in! When you have grown up in a society by which prides itself on control of a narrative and control of the people it effects, the need for exposure of the cancerous nature of those narratives!
As history told from the vantage point of the ‘victor’ will always be seen as, treated as, propaganda! This cannot be so in the new millennium in the age of Black lives matter! This cannot be so in the age of Black CEO’s and VPOTUS’s! The fact that we have to find out more about our history, and still making Black history daily, the needed to know more about who we are and where we come from is essential!
We as a nation can no longer afford to hide the achievements of the same people that helped to build it–involuntarily! This nation has a debt to Black people, and that is deeper than any sort of financial reparations. This debt is steeped in the continuous, deliberate measures to hide and dismiss the contributions and achievements of Black people. There is no reason for this! It cannot be excused! The reckoning for the adequate telling of history, you have to tell all of it!
History has to reflect the realities of Black writers, soldiers, artists, politicians, abolitionists, scientists and even Roman soldiers whom were Black! History, and those that ‘teach’ it have to accept and confront that their telling of history has been subjected to extensive whitewashing–for the comfort of White historians.
History has never been favorable to the unseen, even when they are an integral to the relayed victory. The best way to counter erasure is with radical visibility…and its time has come.
I saw this new trailer through my Facebook feed early this morning, and had to watch it twice. Despite (and perhaps this is too my detriment) never having hear of Nia DiCosta before directing ‘Candyman’, this short film–this new trailer–has me more hype than I was before to see this movie. And if you look carefully, you will see snippets of other Black history/horror stories in it as well. Within 2 minutes, I am that much more of a fan of hers. The short is intelligent, complex and telling. It reminds me of something that should have been included in the SHUDDER documentary, Horror Noire (Please cop this book! Please watch this documentary!).
The thing that is awesome about this teaser, about this retelling is found in the tweet of the director: “…the symbols we turn them into and the monsters they must have been.” This goes into the controlling of narrative, the controlling/ownership of language, and how minority people will always suffer from the retelling of their own stories by people who don’t look like them! This dovetails into the quote by Tananarive Due: “Black people have always loved horror–horror hasn’t always loved us.” And my favorite quote by her being, “Black history IS Black horror.”
Perhaps the issue remain in the fact that this story was originally written as a short story by Clive Owen. From that story, was the film. From that film, with its premise, allowing pain, anguish, revenge and autonomy through the vehicle of this angry spirit, I believe, is one of the reasons relegating Black people to tokens, magical/sacrificial Negroes or the ‘other’ is comforting to White audiences!
There is a shift vibrating through Black art right now–through all its medium. Besides, if there can be literally 10 movies featuring Jason Voorhees, the world will deal with the angry vengeful spirit of a Black artist whose hand and life were taken because he dared be who is was–and loved who he did! Jordan Peele said it best when he voiced the White male lead horror protag has been done—to death. Now, in this age where freedom is continueally paid for with time, I am anxious to see what else Nia DiCosta is allowed to create. This has to be–must be!–only the beginning.
*the put-on: Noun
This is cultural colloquialism which means to give someone you know a chance or opportunity; in a field you are familiar with or currently working.
I am a fan of Tiffany Haddish!
I love that she is loud, so Black and hood in white AF in white spaces. I am familiar with her story. I know that she was almost functionally illiterate. I know she was living in her car. I know she was doing comedy, when Kevin Hart talked to her. I know that he gave her $300 to get a hotel for the week. But what I also know is he put her on.
He saw her talent. He spoke to it. And he gave her an opportunity.
That is beauty of the put-on.
In watching this series on Netflix, what I heard so often was, “Tiffany came and got me.”
“Tiffany and I had pact that whoever went first, they would throw the rope back. And she through it back.”
There is a power in maintaining space, but it is a totally unique power to create it! What Tiffany did is not forget the people that grinded with her, laughed with her, cried with her–and hustled together. It made me so happy to see!
A Black woman, whom is making and solidifying her own career, made a space for other women, especially those that look like her! This is the power of a put-on!
Let me explain this a little further.
THE POWER OF THE PUT-ON
My best friend and I call this ‘putting someone in the room.’ But I like to use ‘the put-on’! This means that you know someone with skills, talents and abilities that someone needs to see. It means you have decided to build as you climb! The goal of it is visibility by an means necessary. The glorious thing, the beautiful thing? The put-on is a ripple in a pond. It provides a space for talent to be discovered and seen by more than just the person that put you on!
But what is the most important thing about the put-on is being able to give shine to people whom may not have it before. Or giving unique opportunities to those whom may never have had them otherwise (classic example: the Wayans)!
The put-on is a best kept secret, and a card not often played. Why? The fear of other people’s greatness and competition. The put-on nullifies that! It grants presence to people whom need it the most! Or, sadly, may not have ever had it.
The beautiful thing about the put-on, is you don’t have to do anything but open a door. Or drop a card. Or a name. Even, in the case of Tiffany Haddish, go back to where it started–and some folk that people need to see.
[images from whatsnewonnetflix.com]
I Breathe Fire 