The Intersectional Power Of Maya Angelou

Even though yesterday’s post was about a cool music festival in the UK, many of you wanted to talk about Maya Angelou and the video I shared from Friday. Did you know that 'Still I Rise' is from the collection And Still I Rise? It's a book of poetry in three parts, segmented by theme. Part III is called "Still I Rise" for the poem of the same name. "Still I Rise" represents Dr. Angelou's expression of strength for both her womanhood and community.

This is a work studied at the collegiate level among all "worthless" humanities degrees holders. It helps us contextualize how women perceive their own role in society.

Dr. Angelou is one of the most accomplished authors of all time. To dismiss her glorious words as "jive talk" proves exactly the point she was making during her many years fighting for civil rights. 

I understand my place of privilege here. Not everyone gets to go to college simply to study what they love and to try and learn more about the world around them and I had the ability to do that twice. During grad school, I switched my focus from literary analysis to the study of words: their power and how people use them. To say the last 18 months has been an interesting time to observe the way others use words, especially in the political arena, would be the understatement of a lifetime.

I often observe the way words are used in the comments section of this website too. Think about it: I have thousands of comments to ponder from 10 years worth of posts! It’s always interesting to watch the back and forth amongst readers. There’s also a tendency for the vocabulary level to decline and the insults fly when a poster feels slighted by someone else, either due to argument or direct attack. The person being slighted ends up feeling like a dog, either lashing out or cowering in a corner although in this post, the more perfect analogy would be to say that maybe they feel like a “caged bird,” right?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Maya Angelou’s work, I do encourage you to head to a library and check it out. For many people, it is life changing. This is a woman to be celebrated. When she died in 2014, it left a void in the American literary community, especially among female authors.

Speaking of women, the crowd science data is in. More then three times more people attended the Women's March in Washington yesterday than the inauguration on Friday. Sad!  

Crowd scientists (who knew there was such a thing?) say 3 times more people at women's march than Trump inaugurationhttps://t.co/vqSMueAM16

— Paul Begala (@PaulBegala) January 22, 2017

Comments

[Badland]

And now you have the great virgin mary madonna who offered to suck everyones di*k that voted for hillary. My how times have changed for women in america. What a great example for women to follow. Sad!

[Bkallday]

Lol, well played Badlands! Let's all put on our birkenstocks & rage for equality!!! Down with making women cook!!! Up with giving women the right to vote & bear arms!!! Wait....that's already happened you say? Ol Mayo Angelou is cool but I much prefer Cool Whip Jones!

Man, I really just wish we could leave the coercion techniques and effin politics off this board. Regardless of who started the post, this site is called "Bring Back Glam", not "Bring Up Spam". Btw and for the record, I don't like Trump nor Hilary and wouldn't give a flying fu*k if both of em were banished to far away islands forever. So you can hold your sassy lil boring, political comments for someone else.

[fletch]

I received my Master's Degree in Social Work and therefore am familiar with Maya Angelou's work. I'm sure many of my co-eds in graduate school would not be pleased with some of the words and rants I've posted here over the years, but again, I tend to go left than to "stay with the flow". For me pushing boundaries, stepping over one's "thin red line", breaking down 'BORDERS', losing my mind on your borderline...(christ, I can throw out these euphemisms from our beloved songs all day long) is part of what effectuates change.

Making changes starts simply...one day at a time...it starts by going a little out of your comfort zone, until you're ready to make larger, more important decision (i.e voting for Hillary) versus the same 'ol, same 'ol (voting for your beer-drinking, pussy-grabbing, it's-my-ball-and-I'm-going-home childish uncle). Oh, wait? Donald doesn't drink or use drugs? First, I call bullshit, but second, if he doesn't, then he really should start. I digress.

I thought Allyson's posting Maya Angelou's words thee other day was a beautiful statement and applaud her for doing so, possibly knowing the backlash she would get . And to keep this a glam site...It reminding me of Bon Jovi's "We Weren't Born to Follow":


This one goes out to the man who mines for miracles
This one goes out to the ones in need
This one goes out to the sinner and the cynical
This ain't about no apology
This road was paved by the hopeless and the hungry
This road was paved by the winds of change
Walking beside the guilty and the innocent
How will you raise your hand when they call your name?
Yeah, yeah, yeah

We weren't born to follow
Come on and get up off your knees
When life is a bitter pill to swallow
You gotta hold on to what you believe

Believe that the sun will shine tomorrow

And that your saints and sinners bleed
We weren't born to follow
You gotta stand up for what you believe
Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah

This one's about anyone who does it differently
This one's about the one who cusses and spits
This ain't about our livin' in a fantasy
This ain't about givin' up or givin' in
Yeah, yeah, yeah

We weren't born to follow
Come on and get up off your knees
When life is a bitter pill to swallow
You gotta hold on to what you believe

Believe that the sun will shine tomorrow

And that your saints and sinners bleed
We weren't born to follow
You gotta stand up for what you believe

As, Maya Angelou pointedly states: I STILL RISE!

I speak your name.

[GNR]

Is this the story of Chicken Little and the sky is falling ?

[Metalboy!]

As far as Madonna's comments are concerned, to use an excuse The Deplorables (Great name for either a Punk band or a quasi Evangelical Hick band) have deployedin defense of Trump's P*ssy comments, "That's Madonna!"

The only difference is Madonna is only a citizen and entertainer, wheareas Trump is our President and leader of the free world. That's what's SAD, Blabland! Yes Haw, Howdy, Boy! See you at the Midterms when the sanity returns to Washington. In the meantime, enjoy the comedy primarily emanating from the West Wing of the White House. Haha!! Na-na-nuh-nah-nah!!!

FYI -- Though I know most of the original Maya Angelou related commentary is fueled by "alternative fact" finding, Bring Back Glam! Comments would be around Ramblin' Man Festival or whatever musically related topic, had certain Vommentors not made it political in the first place!

[Jeff]

What Madonna and Ashley Judd said yesterday was COMPLETELY off base to the original intent of the "march". Good that the Secret Service has opened an investigation for the threats Madonna made yesterday. Even though it won't amount to anything unfortunately. Both of them should be ashamed at their behavior yesterday. I've seen many, many posts and comments from women, as well as read articles on their behavior yesterday that questioned their statements. Both came off as bat s$%t crazy. God help us.

[Bkallday]

Trashley Judd is certainly not someone id ever want speaking for my cause.

[Kevon]

WHAT CAUSE? What rights do woman not have?

[Kixchix]

Is this what happens when Bobby Blotzer doesn't tell us how great his band is? Darn, I now yearn for Bobby Blotzer?.?. There is room for two Ratts. Or perhaps many more! (Wink, wink)

I love logic and reason. Therefore I abstain...

[oper8n]

I enjoy the site. Politics included. I don't agree with many, but then I don't have to. We're all adults, made up of our own experiences, sorrows, joys, etc. I didn't vote for Hillary, but I'm still wary of Trump. I hope America and the American workers will come first.
If anyone cares or is at least wondering, my undergraduate degrees were in psychology and one class away from a major in English literature.
Just watched Mötley Crue "The End," and it's worth seeing, in my opinion. I'll miss seeing those guys on the road. For hating each other, they at least held it together for the film and seemed to enjoy performing one last time.
Hope you all have a great Sunday.

[Christian]

For what it's worth, I have faith in American institutions, your democracy will overcome the threat of Trump. But, in the meantime, it will be dark days for minorities, even in Australia people are being told that Trump won and the west will be white again. It doesn't even matter if he said that, race hate groups have heard it.

Also, I was fired from my USA based job before Christmas so I won't see Trump Le America. I saw Obamas and Bushes and they were not that different, people won't change. It's the enabled minority people need to fear, not every misguided Trump voter

[Gary]

@Kixchix. Well said 😎

[Kixchix]

@Gary ✌️🤘❤️

[Christian]

This thing needs Facebook integration and 'like' buttons.....

[Darktown]

Bah, turn the music up, crack a cold beer, light a smoke and sit back and enjoy the ride, it's only life and life is too short to cry, whine or complain, whats done is done, lets move on??

[Metalboy!]

Oh, people will be watching, alright, Darktown, but it won't be sitting back, as demonstrated on Sunday. It is time to crank up the music, however... "For Those About To Rock, We Salute You"!!!

[Jack T. Ripper]

😂

[Jack T. Ripper]

❄️

[Metalboy!]

😈

[Bkallday]

Nice idea DT, but some ppl just can't let it go that their candidate didn't win. They will be in their feelings until Trump leaves office, and every chance they get, they will bitch about some kind of inequality or some other whine. I didn't like either candidate but what's done is done and it's time for the haters to stfu and deal with reality. Nothing is gonna change!