The brother of one of the ladies who rocked at La Bodega (sorry I don't know her name!) came up to me & Desdamona during the afterparty, stopped, shook our hands, and was like "Man, thank you, thank you guys man, women in Hip Hop, I love this, I love all these women in hip hop, I didn't know this was here like this, man, thank you. That's my sister up there, that's my sister. Thank you." Even that alone was enough. Rachel Raimist's video installation had heads checking so serrrious, EVERY man and boy in the spot was like, "who's that woman", "what song is that she's singing", "who's that female rhyming there", "can I buy an album from that woman", "where can I find out more about her"... YES!! YES! That's what the fuck I'm talkin about!! THANK YOU for appreciating the immense and irreversible beauty of who we are and what we do! Just to get some acknowledgment, it makes a difference.
And that's what it is. It feels different, somehow. Because, today, things are different. I don't know how much funds we raised, but I do know this. We raised the roof. We raised the dead. We raised people's consciousness. We raised awareness. Everyone who walked into Moxie, Intermedia Arts, or La Bodega learned something today - about Hip Hop, about women, and about themselves. The team behind B-Girl Be IS Hip Hop. We ARE feminism. Not the Hip Hop you read about in magazines. Not the feminism, they're studying in the universities. When we say we're "on the ground," we really mean that shit. Rachel is on the ground, aiming her video camera up to catch the perfect shot. B-Girl Seoul is on the ground, spinning on her back, shoulders, arms and head. I'm on the ground, kneeling down to show two little girls named Tiana and Nesra how I do my graffiti handstyle and my ghetto flowers.
They said Hip Hop was dead. They said females are bitches. They said women are hoes. They said it couldn't be done. They said we couldn't get along. That jealousy or envy would stop us in our tracks. That we weren't capable of thinking for ourselves. That we were wishy-washy and couldn't make our own decisions. That we were weak. That we are just here to make babies, or to be seen and not heard.
Article comments
1 - DeAnna
Say that! Can I get a witness?
MJ you hit it all on the head. Friday was phenomenal! The Summit in June is gonna show and prove to anyone who doubts that this is the real deal.
Much Love.
De
2 - Desdamona
MJ - keep it comin'....and it don't stop.
times they are a changin' and I can't wait to see what's around the bend.
peace
des
3 - Eric Olsen
great energy Miranda Jane, sounds like quite a time - thanks and welcome!
4 - rae
please keep these lessons coming. my students desperately need to learn their history. they need to recognize and respect.
could ya, would ya write more about more books, more films [thank's for the shout-out in this post!], and just more, more, more...
buying a rap cd DOES NOT make you HIP-HOP. you need to give back everything that you take from this space.
blessings always
5 - Femmarsenal
This is exactly what womanism needed to get a good start in the process of taking back our God given rights Misogynistic testimonials infect infant minds crowding the membrane with immorality and half-truths. Ladies how can we rid our Universe of neopatriarchy if we fail to unite and become one. Can we possibly embark on our future if our past is present? If we remain voiceless we may all be converted into so called “tip-drills” take pleasure in having change thrown at the same place we forge children. I beg you in the respectability of our ancestors who labored to wage war for our sovereignty, please seek reverence in you femininity and embrace your womanly possessions, they obtain more merit than credit given Pride yourself on being a designer of sentiments and incorporate loyalty into your daily routine .
B-Girl Be is revolutionary!!!