How Dare You (A Black Woman's Cry) Poem by Shashana Livingston

Am a black woman of many words and in my life there are so many things I have to fear Am a black woman in today society ‘s am told am to be fearless just because Am a black woman
I was once told my nose had to be a certain inch and it had to be straight my eyes had to be blue or green I had to have long hair to bring off myself But as years pass I ask this question
How Dare You? How Dare You? How dare you say as a black woman I got to be brown And if I am not I have to bleach Don't you see my beauty? Does the way I look tell you how far I will reach in life? Does it? Does it tell you? Why do you think I have to destroy my natural Black hair with your poison so that I can look like you who have enslaved my ancestor.
How Dare you I ask once more As I can now see that I have passed through your physical enslavement And you're trying so hard to keep me under mental slavery But I am here to break the chain of mental slavery on Black woman mind Letting them know that we are a people with pride and beauty It's not the image that we see on the television But beauty is a thing from within.