Engender Zine Summer Special 2020

Hm. My black voice is strong.

If you thought you could suppress it, you were wrong.

My words hold weight and I will spew them without shame And if you think I’m loud or intimidating, maybe that’s the aim Because when you come after me, somehow I’m still the one to blame?

Mhh. My black is so versatile It comes in every shape, size, and style So maybe my black is slim, slim-slim, thick, thick-thick, or slim-thick Or maybe my black is built like a brick.

Hey. Maybe my black likes STEM and wants to be a mathematician Or maybe my black is into cosmetics and wants to be a beautician Maybe my black is ashy, in need of some Vaseline Or maybe my black is classy Or maybe you think my black dresses trashy Maybe my black has an attitude, shows no sense of gratitude Maybe you think my black is straight up rude Or maybe my black is polite Maybe my black talks ‘white’ Maybe my black listens to music that you don’t really like…

And loudly.

Maybe my black is light-skinned, dark-skinned, or somewhere in between Regardless, my black is royalty and I am a queen But what if...what if my black is really light or what if my black is ebony See, it doesn’t even matter because you don’t define what my black should be