SapphireH - Timeline 3 African American Women literature lyrics

After women received the right to vote in 1920 some Americans did not realize the fight for women's' rights did not cease. African American women, especially in the south continued to fight for equality and the right to vote well into the 1960's. The African American women began writing more in the modern time period, especially in order to voice their opinions on their rights and what it meant for their identity as an African American. These female literary writers write on the topics of equality, rights concerning education and their bodies; and also continuing the push to further African American literature. The use of diction, black aesthetics and imagery by these specific pieces enhance the reader's cognizance of the African American woman's struggle in America when the acceptance of blacks still had not fully been adapted into the culture. 1943: “Kitchenette building” by Gwendolyn Brooks “We are things of dry hours and the involuntary plan, Grayed in, and gray. “Dream" makes a giddy sound, not strong Like "rent", "feeding a wife", "satisfying a man".” But could a dream send up through onion fumes Its white and violet, fight with fried potatoes And yesterday's garbage ripening in the hall, Flutter, or sing an aria down these rooms” 1960: "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks “The Pool players. Seven at the Golden Shovel. We real cool. We Left school. We Lurk late. We Strike straight. We Sing sin. We Thin gin. We Jazz June. We Die soon. 1965: "blk/ rhetoric" by Sonia Sanchez “ who's gonna make all That beautiful blk/ rhetoric Mean something. like i mean who's gonna take the words blk/ is/ beautiful and make more of it than blk/ capitalism.” U dig? 1968: "The Last M. F." by Carolyn Rodgers “i say, That i only call muthaf**as, muthaf**as… this is the last poem i will write calling all manner of wites, card-carrying muthaf**as and all manner of Blacks (negroes too) sweet muthaf**as, crazy muthaf**as, low down muthaf**as, cool muthaf**as, mad and revolutionary muthaf**as. But anyhow you all know just like i do (whether i say it or not), there's plenty of MEAN muthaf**as out here trying to do the struggle in and we all know that none of us can relax ujtil the last m. f.'s been done in” 1971: "The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara “So me and Sugar turn the corner to where the entrance is, but when we get there I kinda hang back. Not that I'm scared, what's there to be afraid of, just a toy store. But I feel funny, shame. But what I got to be shamed about? Got as much right to go in as anybody. But somehow I can't seem to get hold of the door, so I step away from Sugar to lead. But she hangs back too. And I look at her and she looks at me and this is ridiculous. I mean, damn, I have never ever been shy about doing nothing or going nowhere.” 1972: "Outcast" by Alice Walker “ Be nobody's darling; Be an outcast. Qualified to live Among your dead.” 1973: "U Name This One" by Carolyn Rodgers “let uh revolution come , uh State of peace is not known to me anyway… at least twice ev'ry week and judy got kicked outa grammar school fuh bein pregnant and died tryin to ungrow the seed” 1980: "Poem About My Rights" by June Jordan “I could not go and I could not think and I could not stay there alone as I need to be alone because I can't do what I want to do with my own body and who in the hell set things up like this and in France they say if the guy penetrates but does not ejaculate then he did not rape me… finally you understand finally they f**ed me over because I was wrong I was wrong again to be me being me where I was/ wrong to be who I am”