SHE LOVED US FIERCELY (A tribute to Ntozake Shange)
by Venus Jones
When I was growing up, I heard songs about self-respect and self-love more frequently than I do
today. Whitney Houston sang about the greatest love of all, which was about celebrating inner beauty. I still
hear the echoes of my grandmother singing a tune from The Staples Singers warning, “If you don’t respect
yourself ain’t nobody going to give a good cahoot” about you. Some of the greatest legends in music at the
time were singing about “starting with the man in the mirror.” We had anthems dedicated to friendship,
like “That’s what friends are for.” However, an empowering message wasn’t just heard on Black radio, it
was felt through Black theatre. I grew up with script writers who made everyday people poetic like
Anna Deavere Smith, Sarah Jones, and Ntozake Shange.
I was first introduced to the work of playwright Ntozake Shange at The Studio 620 in St. Petersburg,
Florida when I was asked to audition for a play she wrote called, for colored girls who have considered
suicide when the rainbow is enuf. I was cast as the Lady in Green joining some very talented women on
stage during the museum’s rendition. Dressed in the color of the heart chakra, I represented a strong desire
for health and wealth. Initially, my favorite character and monologue was the Lady in Blue, possibly
because I interpreted her as the throat chakra. I connected more with that monologue, because of the way
the character spoke about living in another world. Her speech pattern reminded me of my birth mother. She
too lived in the past and wrestled with regret. Most Black women in America can relate to at least one of the
monologues in Shange’s play. Her work has been featured as a film more than once and I see it produced
practically every year. I have even wondered, “Where is the next choreopoem?” I’m sure someone has
tried to write one, but I haven’t seen it. Have you? If it’s out there, it isn’t as popular as for colored girls.
What is it that made this work of art such a classic? Why do most people never get enough of it? There are
three things that make Shange’s most famous work stand out: it celebrates Black women coming of age, it
promotes sisterhood, and it is a great example of art that heals.
There are a lot more traps for young women coming of age these days. The U.S. Department of
Justice reports 62% or more than half of confirmed sex trafficking victims are African American. Shange
was concerned with the ramifications of objectification and exploitation of Black girls before Jada Pinkett
produced a documentary on it and before Gabrielle Union sat down with Essence magazine to discuss our
vulnerability. The mental health and protection of our Black girls is still not talked about enough, given
these startling statistics. Beyoncé has been known to highlight one of my favorite quotes by Malcolm X
right before singing one of her most defiant songs. Once he stated that the most disrespected, unprotected,
and neglected person in America is the Black woman. That is why it is not surprising to hear that some of
us have emotional and spiritual issues we are dealing with along this ongoing journey back to self-love and
self-acceptance. The good news is we have high profile entertainers from Jennifer Lewis to Tiffany Haddish
telling their autobiographical stories about past bouts with anxiety disorders and with depression. Carolyn
african Voices
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