I Matter Zine

Page 1

I Matter


TABLE OF CONTENTS MEET THE CREATORS Meet the makers of this Zine!

FEMALE ICONS Influential female icons in our history

A GIRL LIKE ME Poem by Maya Morris

SORRY, NOT SORRY Poem by Kya Franks

SCARS A Woman's Testimony by Kamia Jenkins

PHENOMENAL WOMAN Maya Angelou's iconic poem

WOMEN Poem by Blanca Willis


MEET THE CREATORS BLANCA WILLIS Sophomore, White Station Author KAMIA JENKINS Junior, Whitehaven Author/Photographer

LE'NERICKA BEASLEY Senior, Collegiate School Memphis Author

KYA FRANKS Junior, White Station Author

LESLIE RENDON Sophomore, Memphis Catholic Artist MARANDA GREEN Junior, White Station Composer

MAYA MORRIS Sophomore, White Station Author


Female Icons By Leslie Rendon

“Instead of getting hard ourselves and trying to compete, women should try and give their best qualities to men - bring them softness, teach them how to cry.” - Joan Baez

“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.” - Maya Angelou


Female Icons By Leslie Rendon

“I am my own muse. The subject i know best. The subject i want to better.” - Frida Kahlo

"It is fine to be who you are. What makes you unique is what makes you beautiful, because it's what makes you you. And the world needs you, exactly as you are. That's the truth, plain and simple.” - Lizzie Velásquez


A Girl Like ME MAYA MORRIS

the first time i witnessed what a flat iron could do for a girl like me; one with curls and coils it swooped me up, bewitched me, and seared my crown to straw. easter sunday a day not only for six hours in the sanctuary, floral blouses, and collard greens and cornbread, but one of the few days a year that girls, girls like me unraveled their cornrows to unleash an unrecognizable silky silhouette of hair moulded to conform to the customary because crochet braids senegalese twists and bantu knots were never enough to suffice can i touch your hair? is that your real hair? do you have a relaxer? what are you mixed with?

why do you ask? is it because i'm not black enough? because girls like me aren't ever enough are they? even now, it’s amusing to see the look of awe on the faces of my peers because somehow they never knew that a girl like me could ever grow hair over ten inches long the only pretty i ever knew was fingers running through my strands with ease but with all prizes comes compensation and no amount of a subjective pretty was worth the expense of eradicating my crown and dethroning my mane.


SORRY, NOT

SORRY

KYA FRANKS Sorry not sorry that my appearance doesn’t fit your idea of beauty. Unfortunately ,for you, your opinion on how gorgeous I am doesn’t bother me. God made me this way for a reason and I love myself. I accept my “flaws” and stop comparing myself. I’m sorry You are one of those people brainwashed by social media’s standards. I am a Queen and your insecurities will never decrown my extraordinary mind, body, and soul.


Scars: A WOMAN'S TESTIMONY KAMIA JENKINS It all started as a small push or pull Then eventually it was a slap or a foul punch Once my lip was so swollen that I couldn’t even eat lunch In the beginning I made excuses for him He loves me or it was just a mistake I even started blaming myself for the blows I’d take I thought that when we moved in together that maybe things would get better but it seemed they only got worse See to everyone else things were fine and everything was running its proper course All of our friends thought that surely we were the couple to be He treated me like a queen around them but at home I was nothing more than his slave He beat me day after day And even though I knew it was wrong I continued to stay As the weeks went on the hits stopped hurting so bad and eventually I stopped getting sad I guess he started noticing that the punches weren’t affecting me anymore so one night he tried something different


Scars CONTINUED He asked for what every man asks for after a long day at work and I said no because I was tired just like he was but he had other plans He grabbed me by my legs with an evil look in his eye with every intent to hurt me and this time I knew it would What he did to me hurt worse than any punch ever could I felt betrayed, abused, and degraded I bled for days and after that night I felt like a piece of me was gone I knew at this point that it was time for me to leave this malicious monster alone Truth is, he never loved me He didn’t want me but he didn’t want anyone else to have me either He treated me like a rag doll And every time he’d apologize for what he’d done wrong on the same lies I’d slip and fall Even though he stripped me of my dignity, he will never strip me of my strength So today I stand tall with every other woman that has been abused and sexually harassed or assaulted We are more than what we’ve been through and our scars tell the story of just how strong a woman really is.


PHENOMENAL WOMAN Maya Angelou Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size But when I start to tell them, They think I’m telling lies. I say, It’s in the reach of my arms, The span of my hips, The stride of my step, The curl of my lips. I’m a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered What they see in me. They try so much But they can’t touch My inner mystery. When I try to show them, They say they still can’t see. I say, It’s in the arch of my back, The sun of my smile, The ride of my breasts, The grace of my style. I’m a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That’s me.

I walk into a room Just as cool as you please, And to a man, The fellows stand or Fall down on their knees. Then they swarm around me, A hive of honey bees. I say, It’s the fire in my eyes, And the flash of my teeth,

Now you understand Just why my head’s not bowed. I don’t shout or jump about Or have to talk real loud. When you see me passing, It ought to make you proud. I say, It’s in the click of my heels,

The swing in my waist,

The bend of my hair,

And the joy in my feet.

the palm of my hand,

I’m a woman

The need for my care.

Phenomenally.

’Cause I’m a woman Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman, That’s me.

Phenomenal woman, That’s me.


Women

For many years we've been underlooked Treated as inferiors For many years our rights denied We are not just housekeepers We are not trophies To be put on pedestals We can make our own decisions To be at home or at work It is our own choice We can be doctors We can be lawyers We can be professors And not just teachers It is to be our choice We deserve to be treated equally We are just as great We've won several awards We are just as smart We all are very different But we all want to do our part To live life as equals To change the tides of time We have dreams too Dreams about our lives We are not delicate little things We are just as strong If you do not believe Just look around Can't you see we are so much more More than you believed - Blanca WillisÂ


SNIKNEJ AIMAK YB OTOHP

WE ARE ONE.

© 2018 | MEMPHIS CHALLENGE PUBLICATIONS All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information, address The Memphis Challenge, 516 Tennessee St., Suite 422, Memphis, Tennessee 38103. Memphis Challenge unveils the third installment of the “Tell Me A Story” service project series. Aligned with the MLK50 commemoration, Memphis Challenge students created four electronic magazines (Zines), featuring prose and art relating to social justice. A portion of the project is funded by a generous grant from the Hyde Family Foundation, FedEx, and Pyramid Peak Foundation. Special thanks to the production team – Heather Bruce, Avery Cunningham, Eleazar Rendon, Caroline Warren, McKenzii Webster and Executive Director, Cassandra Webster – for your expertise, commitment, vision, and leadership. Parents, guardians and MC board of directors thank you for your trust and support.

www.memphischallenge.org


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