The Power of the Woman

By: Honors Senior English, Oakland School for the Arts
Other authors: Ari Stachel, Tessa Cruz
Submitted: 02/14/2009

Women,
So many we have studied,
From Firdaus, to kindred, to Rigoberta Menchu,

Women
Bringing people together, creating global change,
Being the voice the men are to weak to share,
Couples I want to mention are
Nawal, and Shirley Chisholm,

November 30th, 1924 was a special day,
The day the first minority of the minority came to play
Shirley Chisholm stood there to say
I’m running to rep the USA

The first black woman running for the house
Trying to make a man the first spouse
While she didn’t seal the deal,
She made many women like her feel,
That they too could appeal
To the people who wanted real
Politics that they could feel

She was in congress,
And started the congressional black caucus,
Many feats she did we remember to this day,
Before she sadly passed away
We clap away
We cry today

For January 1st, 2005
The day she said goodbye
She made us feel like we could never fall
An inspiration too us all,

Now lets talk about Nawal
October 27th, 1931,
Was the day she said she could be the one
To make sure that women across her land,
Could feel equal and walk hand and hand
With the oppressors in her culture

It started with her father
A rare radical in that time
He gave her the confidence to shine
Inspired by her female genital mutilation
She decided at the moment to create a revolution

Dismissed from her later jobs due to her activism
She inspired the idea called feminism
Now, many years later, and death threats after,
She continues to write,
And fights her fight
Thanks you girl,
For changing the world.

These women are inspiration
And have transcended this nation
I thank them for opening my mind,
And growing through the grind
To show us all that it can be done
And in the process, makes life more fun

And thank you ladies,
In the class,
Thank you Ms. Svidler,
My teaching my ass
For opening it up to me.
And most of all, thank you sista G!