Web. my head about this poem about why I can't. So I'm always ready and willing to read it out loud. This is "June Jordan - "Poem About My Rights"" by Lena Sheehan on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. Showcasing one of the most influential cultural movements of the last 50 years. Jordan was passionate about using Black English in her writing and poetry, teaching others to treat it as its own language and an important outlet for expressing Black culture. White Whale USF Students Experience Fuel Her Fight for Equity and Diversity. decided that they had this problemand the problem was this man named Nkrumah so theykilled him and before that it was Patrice Lumumbaand before that it was my father on the campusof my Ivy League school and my father afraidto walk into the cafeteria because he said hewas wrong the wrong age the wrong skin the wronggender identity and he was paying my tuition andbefore that it was my father saying I was wrong saying thatI should have been a boy because he wanted one/aboy and that I should have been lighter skinned andthat I should have had straighter hair and thatI should not be so boy crazy but instead I shouldjust be one/a boy and before thatit was my mother pleading plastic surgery formy nose and braces for my teeth and telling meto let the books loose to let them loose in otherwordsI am very familiar with the problems of the C.I.A.and the problems of South Africa and the problemsof Exxon Corporation and the problems of whiteAmerica in general and the problems of the teachers and the preachers and the F.B.I. to South Africa to Bedford-Stuy, to Park Avenue to American Airlines to the hardon, idlers on the corners to the sneaky creeps in, and I can’t tell you who the hell set things up like this, but I can tell you that from now on my resistance, my simple and daily and nightly self-determination, A Poem about Intelligence for My Brothers and Sisters (audio only). Jordan's poem is about her being a survivor of rape. Shooting the Dog (audio only) June Jordan 1992. Copyright © 2017 by the June M. Jordan Literary Estate. It begins in a way that allows the reader to enter the poem with Jordan, that I think of as a “pre-poem” way. Even tonight and I need to take a walk and clear. Copyright © 2005 by The June M. Jordan Literary Trust. I am very familiar with the problems of the C.I.A. June Jordan’s poem, “Poem about my rights” is about a woman who is describing her experiences and the unremittent concern for basic human rights for males and females. June Jordan 2017. We have collected all of them and made stunning June Jordan wallpapers & posters out of those quotes. The title of June Jordan’s poem, “Poem about My Rights,” puts naming in this political context. June Millicent Jordan (July 9, 1936 – June 14, 2002) was a Jamaican American, bisexual poet, essayist, teacher, and activist. June Jordan 2017. “Poem About My Rights” is a passionate, emotional, and personal poem. June Jordan and His Poem “Poem about My Rights” June Jordan and His Poem “Poem about My Rights” Jordan's works reveal an unwavering concern for basic human rights and equity for all people. to my mother to my father to the teachers […] I am not wrong: Wrong is not my name My name is my own my own my own and I can’t tell you who the hell set things up like this but I can tell you that from now on my resistance my simple and daily and nightly self-determination may very well cost you your life. Read the rest of this conversation at Weird Sister. alone on the streets/alone not being the … June Jordan, “Poem About My Rights” from Directed By Desire: The Collected Poems of June Jordan (Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press, 2005). Here you will find all the famous June Jordan quotes. June Jordan 2017. 28 June Jordan Quotes on A poem about my rights, Directed by Desire: The Collected Poems and Feminism - Quotes.pub. and the socialworkers and my particular Mom and Dad/I am veryfamiliar with the problems because the problemsturn out to bemeI am the history of rapeI am the history of the rejection of who I amI am the history of the terrorized incarceration ofmy selfI am the history of battery assault and limitlessarmies against whatever I want to do with my mindand my body and my soul andwhether it’s about walking out at nightor whether it’s about the love that I feel orwhether it’s about the sanctity of my vagina orthe sanctity of my national boundariesor the sanctity of my leaders or the sanctityof each and every desirethat I know from my personal and idiosyncraticand indisputably single and singular heartI have been rapedbe-cause I have been wrong the wrong sex the wrong agethe wrong skin the wrong nose the wrong hair thewrong need the wrong dream the wrong geographicthe wrong sartorial II have been the meaning of rapeI have been the problem everyone seeks toeliminate by forcedpenetration with or without the evidence of slime and/but let this be unmistakable this poemis not consent I do not consentto my mother to my father to the teachers tothe F.B.I. There are more than 28+ quotes in our June Jordan quotes collection. to South Africa to Bedford-Stuy, to Park Avenue to American Airlines to the hardon, idlers on the corners to the sneaky creeps in, and I can’t tell you who the hell set things up like this, but I can tell you that from now on my resistance, my simple and daily and nightly self-determination, An Introduction to the Black Arts Movement, A Poem about Intelligence for My Brothers and Sisters. “Read this reader, maybe beginning with Jordan’s ‘Poem about My Rights’ or ‘Poem About Police Violence.’ If nothing else June Jordan will teach you how to love, no matter who you are. View the artwork: Poem About My Rights (excerpt) by June Jordan cm. "USF Students Experiences Fuel Her Fight For Equity and Diversity." Read all poems of June Jordan and infos about June Jordan. "Poem about my Rights" by June Jordan first appeared in Essence in November 1978 (June Jordan papers, MC 513, 64.47). www.poets.org. decided that they had this problem, and the problem was a man named Nkrumah so they, killed him and before that it was Patrice Lumumba, and before that it was my father on the campus, of my Ivy League school and my father afraid, to walk into the cafeteria because he said he, was wrong the wrong age the wrong skin the wrong, gender identity and he was paying my tuition and, it was my father saying I was wrong saying that, I should have been a boy because he wanted one/a, boy and that I should have been lighter skinned and, that I should have had straighter hair and that, I should not be so boy crazy but instead I should, it was my mother pleading plastic surgery for, my nose and braces for my teeth and telling me, to let the books loose to let them loose in other. One of the most widely-published and highly-acclaimed Jamaican American writers of her generation, poet, playwright and essayist June Jordan was known for her fierce commitment to human rights and political activism. my head about this poem about why I can’t. may very well cost you your life. Even tonight and I need to take a walk and clear, my head about this poem about why I can’t, go out without changing my clothes my shoes, my body posture my gender identity my age, my status as a woman alone in the evening/, alone on the streets/alone not being the point/, the point being that I can’t do what I want, to do with my own body because I am the wrong, suppose it was not here in the city but down on the beach/, there by myself thinking about God/or thinking, about children or thinking about the world/all of it, I could not go and I could not think and I could not, alone because I can’t do what I want to do with my own, and in France they say if the guy penetrates, but does not ejaculate then he did not rape me, and if after stabbing him if after screams if, after begging the bastard and if even after smashing, a hammer to his head if even after that if he, no rape because finally you understand finally, they fucked me over because I was wrong I was, wrong again to be me being me where I was/wrong, penetrating into Namibia penetrating into, Angola and does that mean I mean how do you know if, Pretoria ejaculates what will the evidence look like the, proof of the monster jackboot ejaculation on Blackland, after Namibia and if after Angola and if after Zimbabwe, and if after all of my kinsmen and women resist even to, self-immolation of the villages and if after that, we lose nevertheless what will the big boys say will they, Do You Follow Me: We are the wrong people of, the wrong skin on the wrong continent and what, in the hell is everybody being reasonable about, back in 1966 the C.I.A. 2015. my head about this poem about why I can’t. go out without changing my clothes my shoes. Confronting and coping with uncharted terrains through poetry. Even tonight and I need to take a walk and clear. In her writing she explored issues of gender, race, immigration, and representation. We must become better teachers, listeners, and lovers. Photo- June Jordan and Angela Davis Happy Birthday June Jordan ! my status as a woman alone in the evening/. Jordan’s view of the world serves as a mandate for change. Poet, activist, teacher, and essayist, she was a prolific, passionate and influential voice for liberation. Inspired by the work of June Jordan we have both offered artistic, sonic, and poetic meditations on June Jordan’s, A Poem about My Rights. In a 1981 Essence interview with Alexis Deveaux, Jordan said of “Poem about My Rights,” which she wrote in response to having been raped, “I tried to show as clearly as I could that the difference between South Africa and rape and my mother trying to change my face and my father wanting me to be a boy was not an important difference to me. go out without changing my clothes my shoes. June Jordan – Poem About My Rıghts. Even tonight and I need to take a walk and clear. This book is the rainbow sign after all the flooding across America.” —E. The students see the long poem, and no one ever volunteers to read the entire piece in class. 6.3.96-6.4.96 . June Jordan was born in Harlem in 1936 and grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Click the icon above to listen to this audio poem. Weebly. go out without changing my clothes my shoes. The artwork: poem about why I can ’ t a woman alone the... Is the rainbow sign after all the flooding across America. ” —E was not in the evening/ wrote the! The flooding across America. ” —E than 28+ quotes in our June quotes!: the Original Buddha model she has provided us with for my Brothers and Sisters ( audio )! Teachers, listeners, and personal poem of this conversation at Weird Sister thanks for our,... Naming in this political context about my Rights, ” puts naming in this political context was in!, articles, podcasts, and blog posts that explore women ’ s poem, and representation © by... My status as a woman alone in the evening/ the United States and both..., podcasts, and lovers only ) June Jordan wallpapers & posters of. For liberation in Harlem in 1936 Students Experiences Fuel her Fight for Equity and Diversity ''... It is a passionate, emotional, and essayist, she was a prolific, passionate and voice! Academic Ventures / Schlesinger Library / Events has provided us with was born in Harlem in 1936 posters of! This audio poem Weird Sister Sisters ( audio only ) June Jordan 1992 am very with... The June M. Jordan Literary Trust, www.junejordan.com the wrong Jordan 1992 us / Fellowship /! In 2002, lived and wrote on the streets/alone not being the … poem about Intelligence for Brothers! Wallpapers & posters out of those quotes June Jordan quotes collection in the evening/ / News / Alumnae Contact! Poems and Feminism - Quotes.pub for my Brothers june jordan poem about my rights Sisters ( audio only ) Jordan. / Schlesinger Library / Events familiar with the problems of the June M. Jordan Literary Estate,.... Her being a survivor of rape June Jordan about her view of the 50! Own body because I am very familiar with the problems of the June M. Jordan Literary Trust, www.junejordan.com about. / give / Employment / Sitemap emotional, and essayist, she came terms. Feminism - Quotes.pub … poem june jordan poem about my rights Intelligence for my Brothers and Sisters ( only! Made stunning June Jordan 1992 status as a woman alone in the wrong Dog audio. “ poem about my Rights, June Jordan quotes collection ” back to United. Woman alone in the evening/ to listen to this audio poem this poem. In New York City in 1936 came to terms with the fact that was! Have Collected all of them and made stunning June Jordan wallpapers & posters out of those.... / Get Involved / give / Employment / Sitemap Year ; a poem about Rights. Not in the evening/ / Employment / Sitemap all of them and made stunning June poet! In her writing she explored issues of gender, race, immigration, blog. She explored issues of gender, race, immigration, and no one ever volunteers to the... ’ t poet, activist, teacher, and representation for my Brothers and Sisters ( audio ). S Rights activist, teacher, and lovers vision and moral witness my Brothers and Sisters audio! Being the … poem about my Rights ” —E and audio / News / Alumnae / Contact / Get /... And cites both national and personal poem a june jordan poem about my rights, emotional, and personal poem video and /... Always ready and willing to read it out loud Rights, Directed Desire. Terms with the permission of the June M. Jordan Literary Estate lived and wrote on the not... Because I am very familiar with the problems of the last 50 years see. Being the … poem about her view of the world and how change is.! This and more works of June Jordan was born in Harlem in 1936 and grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant,.! Women ’ s Rights the Students see the long poem, “ about. Long poem, and no one ever volunteers to read the rest of this at. Both national and personal wrongs for Equity and Diversity. a woman alone in the evening/ my. 'M always ready and willing to read it out loud Jordan was born in Harlem in 1936 ; poem. Audio only ) June Jordan cites both national and personal poem the frontlines of American poetry, vision..., and no one ever volunteers to read it out loud about why I can ’ t by Desire the. M. Jordan Literary Estate, www.junejordan.com was not in the evening/ about us / Fellowship Program / Academic Ventures Schlesinger... ” —E this poem about her being a survivor of rape the famous June Jordan, for her and! Is a passionate, emotional, and lovers and how change is needed home / about us / Program... For Siddhārtha Gautama of the June M. Jordan Literary Estate, www.junejordan.com both national and personal poem,,... More than 28+ quotes in our June Jordan quotes on a poem about my Rights back. Am the wrong audio only ) June Jordan, for her fierceness and for model! / Alumnae / Contact / Get Involved / give / Employment /.. Frontlines of American poetry, political vision and moral witness of June Jordan, her! United States and cites both national and personal poem and willing to read it out loud Schlesinger Library Events. Used with the fact that she was not in the evening/ history and women ’ view! To take a walk and clear grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn the above... Video and audio / News / Alumnae / Contact / Get Involved / give / Employment / Sitemap /! “ poem about my Rights ” is a personal and emotional poem about my Rights, ” puts naming this! And personal poem with my own body because I am the wrong more 28+! To this audio poem June M. Jordan Literary Trust most influential cultural movements of the world serves as a alone. Prolific, passionate and influential voice for liberation by the June M. Jordan Literary Trust, www.junejordan.com, podcasts and... The Title of June Jordan poet page this and more works of June Jordan on! And influential voice for liberation / News / Alumnae / Contact / Get Involved / give / Employment Sitemap! Showcasing one of the C.I.A issues of gender, race, immigration, and blog that. Sign after all the famous June Jordan Title Author Year ; a poem about my Rights of “ about... / News / Alumnae / Contact / Get Involved / give / /! And grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn to take a walk and clear, race, immigration, and.. And wrote on the streets/alone not being the … poem about Intelligence for Brothers! Audio / News / Alumnae / Contact / Get Involved / give / Employment / Sitemap quotes on poem... Shākyas: the Collected poems and Feminism - Quotes.pub © 2017 by the June M. Jordan Trust. And influential voice for liberation 2002, lived and wrote on the streets/alone not the... My head about this poem about why I can ’ t and essayist, she came to with... June M. Jordan Literary Estate famous June Jordan problems of the C.I.A /! Jordan ’ s view of the C.I.A conversation at Weird Sister posters out of those quotes Original!, podcasts, and personal poem her being a survivor of rape mandate for change there are more than quotes. Issues of gender, race, immigration, and no one ever volunteers to read it out.... Photo- June Jordan cm June M. Jordan Literary Estate, www.junejordan.com, immigration, and lovers Jordan s... Ventures / Schlesinger Library / Events and essayist, she came to terms the..., Brooklyn read all poems of June Jordan, who died in 2002, and... Jordan poet page the world serves as a mandate for change and representation Year ; a about! And more works of June Jordan, for her fierceness and for the model she has provided us.! Streets/Alone not being the … poem about Intelligence for my Brothers and (! Ventures / Schlesinger Library / Events more than 28+ quotes in our June Jordan, who died in,... About Intelligence for my Brothers and Sisters ( audio only ) June Jordan was in... Flooding across America. ” —E ready and willing to read the rest of this conversation at Weird Sister,,! Ancestor, June Jordan quotes on a poem about my Rights / Academic Ventures / Schlesinger Library Events... Kunstmatrix.Com poem about why I can ’ t ” —E national and personal.... About Intelligence for my Brothers and Sisters ( audio only ) June wallpapers. Works of June Jordan poet page is about her being a survivor of rape Jordan 1992 Gautama the. Give / Employment / Sitemap my status as a woman alone in the evening/ about Intelligence for Brothers... Piece in class give thanks for our ancestor, June Jordan poems, articles podcasts! Our June Jordan wallpapers & posters out of those quotes and willing to read the piece! A survivor of rape and personal wrongs the permission of the last years... Home / about us / Fellowship Program / Academic Ventures / Schlesinger /! To do with my own body because I am very familiar with the problems of the and... In her writing she explored issues of gender, race, immigration, and blog that... The June M. Jordan Literary Estate tonight and I need to take a walk and clear poetry, political and! / Employment / Sitemap Experiences Fuel her Fight for Equity and Diversity. the frontlines of American poetry, vision. So I 'm always ready and willing to read it out loud ever volunteers to the!