Roar!

Summer Tales from the MimiVerse, Vol. 1

Roar!

Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) was born into slavery in 1797 as Isabella Baumfree, and would become one of the most powerful advocates for human rights in the nineteenth century. She was often sold and cruelly beaten and violated. She also bore 13 children, many of whom were sold off as slaves.

In 1851 Sojourner Delivered ‘Ain't I A Woman?’ one of the most famous abolitionist and women’s rights speeches in American history at the Women's Rights Convention, Old Stone Church (since demolished), Akron, Ohio.

In her speech she railed against the absurdity of the feigned frailness of women. Sojourner could out-work, out-eat most men, and take a beating as well as any, yet white women were helped into carriages and carried over mud puddles. ‘Ain't I A Woman?’ she roared at the sea of white faces.

200 years later women are still trying to find our way…

The political constructs of 'femininity" and "sexuality" are weapons that have beaten women into submission (and to death) for centuries. Women are the creators of life and the backbone of every society. Yet, we habitually disrespect ourselves, and destroy each other under the guise of "making things easier" or "getting along". In our hearts we know that is not why… we are scared and lazy.

And we need to find our Roar!

The first time I roared was when my oldest daughter was four years old.

She was playing at a friend's house and I was coming to pick her up.

She saw me and started running to her Mommy. I opened my arms to welcome her back to me.

At the same time, a dog spotted her running and got away from its owner and ran, snarling, at my Little Mama. I pivoted and ran at the dog to cut it off and unleashed a roar that I didn't know I had in me. It was feral and promised death.

Everything stopped.

Of course, the dog skidded to a stop and tried to run back to its owner. Cars stopped and people looked. I chased the dog and its owner back to their house and kicked the door in. Then I thought, 'shit, I'm going to jail!' I told the owner if she called the police, I would pay the fine for a misdemeanor assault and come back and destroy her and the dog. Then I left, got my daughter and we went to get ice cream and then to the park.

I saw the owner and that stupid dog many times after that. She would always cross the street.

I was 24 and already a Warrior-Queen.

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