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MY BLACKNESS

My Blackness surrounds me
My Blackness covers me from head to toe
My Blackness loves me
My Blackness protects me
My Blackness tells me who I am
My Blackness accepts me
My Blackness colors me
And that’s a fact!

My Blackness says, “Hold on tight”
This isn’t going to be an easy flight
But you’ll make it through the night
My Blackness kisses and hugs me and tells me everything’s going to be all right
My Blackness tells me, “I am Black and Beautiful.”

Therefore, my Blackness faces me, carries me, wants me, and will never leave or
     forsake me
It’s all mine
Hallelujah!
My Blackness gives me a unique glow
I shine bright everywhere I go.

Allyne Taylor
Hall Branch Library
Journal of Ordinary Thought, Spring 2010, "Into the Banks"

The Neighborhood Writing Alliance (NWA) provokes dialogue and promotes change by creating opportunities for adults in low-income Chicago neighborhoods to write, publish, and perform works about their lives. These works are published in the award-winning Journal of Ordinary Thought.