Other than my poem, A Lesson Deferred and a Facebook status post, I have been pretty quiet on the whole Trayvon Martin matter. A friend called me on it knowing I must have some opinion. My response was along the lines of simply not wanting to go there again. Today, I read a comment from a fellow blogger’s Slice of Life post from yesterday and she has nailed my feelings right on the head…
“I am so very tired to being quiet, of having to be concerned about the degree to which I can express my feelings because I have to worry that people will label me an “Angry Black Woman””
This is how I feel in a nutshell.
What does it say when a public figure such as Rush Limbaugh regularly feels free to spew vitriol on a variety of subjects, but I feel that I feel the need to self-censor? The very fact that I feel this restriction, this need to play the “Good Negro” just makes me more angry.
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Visit the rest of today’s Slices of Life over at Two Writing Teachers.
Raivenne-lations 
That’s like my poem AGAIN… I heard about Trayvon and that’s the first thing I said, “Oh shit… AGAIN?????” And the poem was finished in 15 seconds…..
I don’t want to go there either, but I am at the end of my rope 😦
I was sooo fucking pissed …
I know, Bajan I feel you.
The question above my answer is: So? What do you think?
I think this: I’ve never (admittedly we’ve never met and I don’t know you long) seen you (nor have I) run or refrain from ANY subject.
A mentor (a good friend and an English Lit professor) once read a blog entry I wrote that was about her and it wasn’t entirely in a good light. I told her ahead of time that I was nervous and that I honestly used hyperbole to make it a bit more interesting and she read it and said, First, you ARE a writer. A real writer. That is evident. And you shouldn’t ever censor yourself. Second: Don’t ever worry about what a person will think when they read about themselves. And you shouldn’t censor yourself.
My advice, if you would oblige me, is to never censor yourself. If anyone is offended, they need to ask themselves WHY. Speak, preach, whisper or scream but don’t worry about what others think. Don’t let anyone have that power over you, Rai.
CP: I’ve been that “Angry Black Woman” through Eleanor Bumpers, Michael Stewart, Amadou Diallo et al. It’s not a matter of what I want to express, it comes out regardless. It’s a matter of how I want to express it. I’m still working on that.