Amy Newmark - Chicken Soup for the Soul: Im Speaking Now: Black Women Share Their Truth in 101 Stories of Love, Courage and Hope

Chicken Soup for the Soul

Im Speaking Now

Black Women Share Their Truth in 101 Stories of Love, Courage and Hope

Amy Newmark

Breena Clarke

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Im Speaking Now: Black Women Share Their Truth in

101 Stories of Love, Courage and Hope

Amy Newmark and Breena Clarke

Published by Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC www.chickensoup.com

Copyright 2021 by Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

CSS, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and its Logo and Marks are trademarks of Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC.

The publisher gratefully acknowledges the many publishers and individuals who granted Chicken Soup for the Soul permission to reprint the cited material.

Front cover and interior photos of women from top left to right: courtesy of iStockphoto.com/CarlosDavid.org (CarlosDavid), courtesy of iStockphoto.com/Avatar_023.org (Avatar_023), courtesy of iStockphoto.com/digitalskillet.org (digitalskillet), courtesy of iStockphoto.com/uanmonino.org (uanmonino), courtesy of iStockphoto.com/ajr_images.org (ajr_images), courtesy of iStockphoto.com/Ridofranz.org (Ridofranzimages), courtesy of iStockphoto.com/digitalskillet.org (digitalskillet), courtesy of iStockphoto.com/izkes.org (izkes).

Photo of Amy Newmark courtesy of Susan Morrow at SwickPix

Cover and Interior by Daniel Zaccari

Distributed to the booktrade by Simon & Schuster. SAN: 200-2442

Publishers Cataloging-In-Publication Data

(Prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.)

Names: Newmark, Amy, compiler. | Clarke, Breena, compiler.

Title: Chicken soup for the soul : Im speaking now : Black women share their truth in 101 stories of love, courage and hope / [compiled by] Amy Newmark [and] Breena Clarke.

Other Titles: Im speaking now : Black women share their truth in 101 stories of love, courage and hope

Description: [Cos Cob, Connecticut] : Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC, [2021]

Identifiers: ISBN 9781611590838 | ISBN 9781611593235 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Women, Black--Literary collections. | Women, Black--Anecdotes. | Women, Black--Poetry. | LCGFT: Anecdotes. | Poetry.

Classification: LCC HQ1163 .C45 2021 (print) | LCC HQ1163 (ebook) | DDC 305.48896/02--dc23

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021931274

Changing your world one story at a time

www.chickensoup.com

Introduction

There is material among us for the broadest comedies and the deepest tragedies, but, besides money and leisure, it needs patience, perseverance, courage, and the hand of an artist to weave it into the literature of the country.

~Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

I m Speaking Now! Youve been there. Youve said it or wanted to. Youve been seated at the table where everyone but you is being heard and acknowledged because everyone but you is white. When you begin to speak, just like in a bad dream, someone starts talking over you. Maybe they cant hear you? You consider speaking louder. You hesitate because you dont want to be accused of being loud and angry. But you are angry, and you need to raise a fuss. You clear your throat and say, Im speaking now. Now, it is my turn to speak. Can you hear me? Are you ignoring me?

If youre a Black woman, this has happened to you. Whether youre a business executive or a grocery clerk, youve been ignored, refused courteous treatment, paid less than, policed more than, suspected, unprotected, sexually harassed and exploited and, though a participating witness to the creation of the United States of America since 1619, silenced because you are a Black woman.

Well, we are speaking now. Now. Not for the first time. Now because the moment is now, now in this collection of 101 first-person narratives and twelve poems is an opportunity to hear the often silenced voices of Black women.

The stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Im Speaking Now Black Women Share Their Truth in 101 Stories of Love, Courage and Hope are straightforward accounts of daily lives. Some are bursts of bright recollection of events or incidents from the past that have stamped the authors lives. Some of the stories are sweet, tender remembrances, evoking pictures of beloved forebears who give us the gritty lessons for survival. Some of the narratives are of dreams and goals the authors set for themselves and their children, juxtaposed with fears and trepidation. Some of these stories are raw, unsettling accounts of trauma. Some are funny, and some are not.

You, whoever you are, will likely find yourself here. Not the least because these are stories about women. Women in this book are writing about you and themselves; they are writing for you and because of you. Many of them tell the truth about themselves plainly and tell it like it is, was, and likely will be. These are stories of universal human experiences but also reflect the specificity of Black womens lives in this country. The scope is broad. This volume includes stories from Canada and the Caribbean as well.

The most compelling stories are those authored by women dealing with the Prison Industrial Complex from inside and outside; narratives of immigration, stories of the Great Migration, stories of international travel, and the adventures of driving around as a Black woman.

Im speaking now because why should I wait any longer?

Its certainly not the first time weve spoken up. In the early decades of the 20th century, African American women were at the ramparts supporting Womans Suffrage though they were most often relegated to the side. Later, they witnessed the horrors of white supremacist terror and galvanized their communitys resistance to it, though they were given little credit for their work.

We havent been silent until now. Weve had a long history of speaking truth to power. But weve also endured a very long history that devalues our opinions, maligns our point of view, and assaults our dignity daily.

A quote accompanies each story in this volume out of a wellspring of wisdom from historical and contemporary Black women. Settle down with it or read it on the fly. Read. Listen now. Im speaking now.

Breena Clarke

February 7, 2021

The Gift

Youre going to walk into many rooms where you may be the only one who looks like you We are all in that room with you applauding you on So you use that voice and be strong.

~Kamala Harris

My gift is my voice

My voice is a gift

It strengthens and encourages

Has the power to uplift

For so long it was stifled

Turned down and smothered

Muted and disregarded

Diminished and covered

All the while inside