Who We Are?

in the era of "I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T...do you know what that means" a few things have become clear:

1. every woman is a precious and beautiful thing to behold

2. each woman has a purpose that only she and she alone can fulfill

3. each woman decides WHO she is and WHAT her beauty will consist of

4. we are in a hell of a lot of trouble if we continue to allow things to proceed as they have been.

In the spirit of sisterhood, I first ask permission to carry forth the charge which has been given me by the Divine, Ruler of all Creation. Hearing no objections, I shall proceed. I have always longed to be a Black Woman. As a little girl, I always admired the power and presence of the women in my family. There seemed to be nothing these women couldn't do. When there was trouble, people were fine dealing with my grandfather and uncle but Whoa to them that had dared put themself in a trifle with my Grandmother, Mother and Aunts. NO ONE WANTED IT, and I do mean NO ONE. In the Spirit of Power,Presence & Progress, Mama's Army moves.

There is a power and presence in Black Women that simply commands respect. It comes from understanding who we are on the inside. We work consciously (and moreso unconsciously) to effect positive change in the lives of people we come in contact with. It has always been my thinking that people should be affected by their interactions,as well as affect those with whom they interact. Thought, movement and ability are areas no one has a monopoly on, however, these should be cultivated and groomed to the highest degree possible. There was a time when the thought of openly referring to a Black Woman, whether she be adult, teen or little girl as a b$%&h drove folk to look around and cast their eyes downward. Now? We have girls, not to mention so-called grown women openly and proudly using the term when referring to themselves. There was a time when I too participated in this light, meaningless banter until I looked into the eyes of my 2 year old and realized I would beat the blood out of anyone who dared call her such a name. This moment of absolute clarity helped me reclaim my responsibility as an adult member of the Village. I thought of all the pain and sacrifice endured by countless numbers of these women in hopes that we, their descendants would not allow their back-breaking labor, physical/spiritual/mental violations be for naught, nor let the prayers, ululations, fasts and sheer resistance to despair go unheard and unanswered. With this, I became a member of Mama's Army.

Mama's Army's primary intention is to bring back the power and presence of the Black Woman in a way that is in line with the historic understanding of who we are. We are who we determine and define ourselves to be and certainly we have never been who the "world" would have us believe we are. Mama's Army throws a hammer in the mirror placed in front of us, shattering all images that do not properly reflect our pain, potential and progress. We do this by, in the words of Toni Morrison, "eliminating the impact of the 'white gaze'"(emphasis on 'white gaze' mine). We take it one step further understanding that there is no one enemy to the progressive healing and development of black women, and form a wall of protection around our girls by developing them and help our sisters by offering them not only a place to grieve the traumas endured, but means and methods to turn their pain into power thus building on the foundation of "making something out of nothing." By understanding and healing ourselves we will be better able to not only relate to but hold our brothers and ourselves accountable to BlakLove, Work and Service to both Community & World. We feel that this is where many of our prior attempts have failed. We've offered opportunities to vent and heal, but little else to assist in the way of mind/soul restoration and moving ahead practically. In order to not be "poverty pimps" and/or otherwise opportunistic, Mama's Army works to restore, enhance and develop Black Women to such a degree that we are no longer necessary and thus,disband. That will be the true testament of our efficacy.