Its time we start telling our own stories; marginalized people can speak for themselves. No longer will we allow the media and those in power to distort our truths. We must re-write the history books and make all facts plain. Tell and write your own stories; share them with the world.
This year I attended the Women's Conference in Long Beach, CA. I won two VIP tickets as a Great Giveaway Winner. This was my second time at the conference; back in 2008 I earned a seat as an Inductee into the Minerva Leadership Organization. It was a great experience, The day was hell-a-chaotic and long but all in all, a great experience. Sad part is, with Maria Shriver no longer our First Lady, the conference will NEVER be as cool or star studded.
My winning statement:
As a woman, what personal freedom do you value most?
Estella Owoimaha, 20s:
I value my freedom to defy gravity and create change. I can do so because great women have set great examples. I can be black, female, mother, lesbian, warrior and poet if I wanted to because Audre Lorde has set such a great example. I can hold a public office and run for president because Hillary Clinton has. I can own a television network and build an entire school if I wanted to because Oprah Winfrey already has. Though they have set the bar pretty high, I can surpass Lorde, Clinton and Winfrey. They are just three of the many women that serve as inspiration, guidance and standards for success. However, even if there weren't great female examples to follow, I value my freedom to be the "first" at accomplishing some task.
My name is Estella Owoimaha. I am a Minerva Leader of 2009 and for the rest of my life. I am an African American woman. I’m a lot of things. Most importantly, I am capable; capable of greatness. When I became a Minerva Leader, I also accepted the responsibility of “architect of change”. I know limits are all mental. I have the ability to defy gravity, as so eloquently stated by the Elphaba of Wicked. As an African American woman, seems like most of my accomplishments defy the laws of gravity. I am okay with that because I embrace challenge with the intent of success and triumph.
I saw For Colored Girls last night with my husband (well, he will be in 5 weeks). He was opposed to going but I nagged him enough to make him change his mind. Let me begin by saying, I am so pleasantly surprised. I went in to the film skeptical and fearful Perry might destroy such a beautiful and powerful piece of literature. (I am also not a fan of Tyler Perry's work and Ntozake Shange is one of my all time favs.)
Every phrase and every beat in the chore-poem has great depth and meaning. It is something that could have been easily lost in translation. I wan to commend Tyler Perry for doing Shange justice and translating this book well to film. Literature and film are two totally different mediums so I understand that he might have had to make some hard artistic choices to maintain integrity.
After watching the film I went home and re-read the book to make a fully informed critique of the film. I decided, for what it was, I was happy and would recommend this film to everyone - especially men.
For starters, Perry could not have assembled a better cast of women. Every performance was amazing. I have always loved Lorreta Devine and Thandie Newton and Madame Rashad. Kimberly Elise is always so moving and she definitely was in this film. I have read the book so many times and every time I notice something new. With these women and their performances I got the same feeling; there was a new emotion and interpretation with their delivery, as if I had read it all over again with fresh eyes. One example, "Somebody almost walked off wit all of my stuff...", delivered by Devine, just became so much clearer for me. Sure, I was able to comprehend the words when I read them but when she spoke them, I felt those words.
There were some great moments in the film. One was the Opera scene...no spoilers so I'll let you see it and decided for yourself on that one.
One of my favorite parts of the book is the Toussant L'Ouveture poem which was shortened dramatically for the sake of moving the film along. I understand, but its my favorite part of the book and I would have liked to hear it through. Perry of course could not remain 100% true to the book but fans of the book beware he did make a few changes.
One change that I appreciated was the "my world is now six blocks" speech delivered by Macy Gray. In reading the poem, I always imagined an older woman or a middle age woman moving about her day full of errands in Harlem. Perry's interpretation of a very much jaded woman whose given up for the most part was a different look at the character I had never seen before.
IF you have seen the 80's PBS version of the film, featuring Shange herself, you may prefer this Perry's version, much like I do. That's not to say I don't love the original, but Perry's version makes for a much better film. I also believe that Perry's version will be able to reach those women moving to the ends of their rainbows; those women who may not find the book easily accessible.
Those of you out there who might be skeptical like I was, I say give it a shot. For those of you who are Perry/Madea fans, this may not be the film for you.
