“Black Mommas,” by Tanya Barnett
By Tanya Barnett •
I lie awake at night.
Slowly dying on the inside.
I am a Black momma.
I am supposed to be strong.
I am afraid.
I am weak.
I cannot breathe.
I feel the world’s hate.
I cannot protect my kids.
I call on the ancestors for protection.
Nothing new under the sun.
Black mommas did this centuries before.
Black mommas
kidnapped
trafficked
laid in filth on ships
worked plantations
raped
birthed Black babies in fields
suckled white babies
cried at the foot of trees.
Black mommas
supposed to be strong
afraid
weak
cannot breathe.
Called on the ancestors for protection.
They survived.
I will survive.
Tanya Barnett is a veteran and advocate, anti-racist, womanist, author, an adjunct professor, and a 2018 N.A.A.C.P. Hall of Famer. She has been featured on OWNTV, Essence Magazine, Huffington Post, The Today Show, Tom Joyner Morning Show, TEDx, Johns Hopkins University, NAACP, Congressional Black Caucus, FBI, EPA, Good Morning Washington, Great Day Washington, etc. She’s a 2x triathlete and 2x marathoner, historical fiction lover, wife, mom and an energetic Glam-ma.
