'Some of Us Did Not Die' Because a Homegirl Was There to Pick Us Up
I tried to write this blog back in late June/early July and I couldn’t. On my 35th birthday my mind is finally giving permission to move forward. I wanted to reflect on my last year and the birthday prayers I have for my next year of life. During my 34th year I learned why some of us did not die. In July 2002 June Jordan released Some of Us Did Not Die, a selection of essays that lays out the the cost and benefits linked to living a life that is dedicated to freedom and equity. I first encountered these essays in 2012 during the spring of my second year of grad school. During this time the words rang beyond the required syllabus reading when my mentor and homegirl called me in the middle of the night to come pick up her and her baby. They awakened to a smoky house due to a pot of some sort left on the stove. In true Black woman wisdom we both knew it was safer for me to come and pick her and her baby up rather than engage authorities of any kind. They could have died, but they did...