encourage each of us stated it this way
“You are the sum total of everything
you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been
told, forgot - it's all there. Everything influ-
ences each of us, and because of that I try to
make sure that my experiences are positive.”
– Maya Angelou
REFLECTIONS
Dr. Maya Angelou, an African-Amer-
ican woman who experienced a multitude
of trials, disappointments, loneliness, grief,
illness and eventually death speaks to our
spirits and reminds us that the Almighty
God has a perfect plan for each us. Phenom-
enal Woman by Maya Angelou will remain a
powerful message for generations to come.
We rise in spite
of the setbacks,
we fall but get
back up, and we
succeed because
we are Phenomenal
Women made in
God’s own image.
He made us this
way!!
EXCERPTS FROM “PHENOMENAL
WOMAN” BY MAYA ANGELOU
I say
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth
The swing of my waist
The joy in my feet.
10 HimPower March/April 2019
I'm a woman
Phenomenal woman
(Yes indeed)
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenal woman
Baby that's me.
CELEBRATING WOMEN’S HISTORY
MONTH
Works Cited
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, 2nd Edition
(2007). Tyndale House Publishers: Carol Stream, IL
Holy Bible, King James Version online, kingjames-
bibleonline.org
Angelou, Maya (1994). Phenomenal Woman: Four
Poems Celebrating Women. Random House: New
York
Buirski, N. (2017). The Rape of Recy Taylor, 2017
Documentary
Women in the Bible,
www.womeninthebible.net
Mary Shaw-Ridley, PhD, MCHES is a health
education professional with over 25 years of
experience. She is the President of Shaw & Asso-
ciates, LLC, a health & education consulting
group. She is also Chair and Professor of the
Department of Behavioral & Environmental
Health at a new School of Public Health/
Jackson State University.