Respect the Sacrifice…

Hello All!  It’s February, the month of love and pro-blackness!  For me black history month is a time to reflect on the sacrifices made, both willing and unwilling, so we could have the freedom we currently enjoy.  The freedom to love, the freedom to learn, the freedom to prosper, the freedom to express thoughts openly, and the freedom to be black and beautiful were neither automatic nor expected.  Our ancestors took the thorns from their backside and used them to build bridges so we could walk over into greatness.  For that, I am eternally grateful.

The poem “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall has always touched my soul, maybe because it speaks to the mother in me.  It also has a way of slapping me out of my complacent and content moments.  It reminds me that there is still work to be done because those who paid the ultimate price with their lives deserve much more from me, from you, from all of us.

Until our minds are as free as our bodies, we have not arrived.  Keep fighting for the change you seek!

ChUC

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Ballad of Birmingham

Mother dear, may I go downtown
Instead of out to play,
And march the streets of Birmingham
In a Freedom March today?”
“No, baby, no, you may not go,
For the dogs are fierce and wild,
And clubs and hoses, guns and jails
Aren’t good for a little child.”

“But, mother, I won’t be alone.
Other children will go with me,
And march the streets of Birmingham
To make our country free.”

“No, baby, no, you may not go,
For I fear those guns will fire.
But you may go to church instead
And sing in the children’s choir.”

She has combed and brushed her night-dark hair,
And bathed rose petal sweet,
And drawn white gloves on her small brown hands,
And white shoes on her feet.

The mother smiled to know that her child
Was in the sacred place,
But that smile was the last smile
To come upon her face.

For when she heard the explosion,
Her eyes grew wet and wild.
She raced through the streets of Birmingham
Calling for her child.

She clawed through bits of glass and brick,
Then lifted out a shoe.
“O, here’s the shoe my baby wore,
But, baby, where are you?”

 

2011 in review for Chick Under Construction

Ok, the blog didn’t do great in numbers but I guess it really didn’t do bad either.  Gotta step it up for 2012!  Thanks to all the faithful ChUC followers and commenters.  I appreciate you immensely!!

Kimeko, aka ChUC

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 7,000 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

In the Beginning Was the Word

All I Need is One Mic...

Yesterday, I listened to my dear friend, Katina Walton, speak about her new book, She Speaks: An Anthology of Poetry.  She quoted John 1:1 which says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  Wow, that made me think about the power of spoken word in a totally new way!  After all, God said let there be light and there was light (Genesis 1:3).  Psalm 33:6 says that The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created.  He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.  So eagerly searching YouTube to get my spoken word fix, I ran across a clip of Justin Reilly  (had no clue of who he was before now) performing his poem “Shooting Star” at a venue in Atlanta.  Ok, I don’t agree with everything he says but I  must admit, the guy has a nice flow and he makes some good points.  And most importantly, he’s using his words to make a difference.

Click on the news article below to read about this poet and how he uses his talent, notoriety and love of spoken word to make positive change.  He says that talking about what’s going on in the world and actually living in a way that is helpful to the world is sometimes a balancing act.  I agree so strengthen those calf muscles and get to stepping!  We can’t just talk, we must act!

ChUC

Shooting Straight by Justin Reilly:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKK91XiWHf8

The Daily Pennsylvanian :: Former Penn forward Justin Reilly voices change with poetry

She Speaks, An Anthology of Poetry

Introducing Nyla Ray!!

Nyla Ray asks... What Should I Do With My Hair

Hello All!  Happy 4th day of the New Year!  Nope, there is no flash fiction this week.  Sorry    A new year means new beginnings right, so I wanted to share another project I’ve been working on for a few months that’s finally coming together.  It’s’ official, my first children’s book is close to completion!  Whoo-hoo!  I didn’t set out to write children’s books but believers understand that it’s our duty to do what the Lord tells us to do.  So anyway, here I am, staring at a cute little cartoon character with kinky-curly hair all day.  I won’t bore you with all the details yet, I just wanted to show you one of the draft pages.  So be on the look out for Nyla’s birthday party and the “What Should I Do With My Hair” picture book this spring.

Thanks a bunch!

Kimeko