Head Empty

Options for an intelligent young woman in her 20s:

“No black woman writer in this culture can write ‘too much.’ Indeed, no woman writer can write ‘too much.’ Considering the centuries of silence, the genres of writing that have been virtually the sole terrain of men, more contributions by women writers should be both encouraged and welcomed. As a professor I sit in classrooms year after year talking with young women who are uncertain about their voices, who are still grappling with whether they can become ‘authors.’ Many of these young women are afraid to speak, let alone write. When I witness their fear, their silences, I know no woman has written enough. Then there are the exceptional female students who are unable to complete their own writing, who are blocked when it comes to putting their visions on paper, who diligently write work for their male peers or older men who require assistance, yet these females remain too shy to claim their words. When I witness this self-betrayal, I know no woman has written enough.”

I applaud the effort that went into this seconds-long bit.

For anyone who wants a side-by-side comparison to appreciate everything that moved, here you go: