She is one of the reasons I love haiku!
Sonia Sanchez has always been one of my absolute favorite poets. I discovered her work as a teenager. I loved her take on how the world was changing in the 1960s and 1970s in the US. Sonia’s work discussed prejudices and women’s rights. Those were topics that were new for me as a teenager. I was aware of racism – but not really aware. I get asked a lot about my experiences growing up in KY. We get it…California and NY are more diverse…haha!
No, but for real…I get asked this by people I meet all the time. I meet people at different events and they just assume I have all these graphic stories about being from Kentucky and being black. I have stories. Yes. I have stories. I also have great things to say about being from the South. I think it’s because I was born way after the civil rights movement and also because I’m not from the DEEP SOUTH. Yes, there is a difference. Kentucky is not the same as being from Mississippi. (No disrespect to those from Mississippi). Kentucky (specifically Louisville) is just culturally very different even though it’s the South.
I grew up so busy trying to fit in because there weren’t a lot of black girls like myself. I grew up colorblind. I thought that was a great trait when I was younger. When I got older I discovered a different take on it. I actually do think it’s important we celebrate our differences as much as our similarities. I have never understood why in the US we are afraid to acknowledge that we do have so many ethnicities in this country. Yes, we are all American …but we have Cubans here, we have Haitians here, we have Ethiopians here, we have Filipinos here, we have Nigerians here, we have Persians here, we have Egyptians here, and we have French here and it’s all wonderful. There should be no fear of other cultures. Why can’t we do both – acknowledge our nationality is American but our ethnicities are diverse?!
COLLECTED POEMS BY SONIA SANCHEZ
I say all of that to say that Sonia shaped me so much as a teenage writer. She introduced me to myself. She is one of the reasons I started writing poetry. She is one of the reasons I still write poetry. She introduced me to myself as a woman. As a black woman. As a woman from the South. As a Southerner. As an American. As a lover of poetry. As a woman who loves, wants to be loved and gives love to the right man. As a lover of jazz. She introduced me to myself.
Peace and Blessings!
Mindful Impressions 