Poem for Finding the way

Untitled

I am a statistic

You write me down in a census

Waiting around so I can call you missus

But now it’s a simplus

Will you put me in a book?

For now I am hooked

Shattered and broken I gon’ took

People all around all they do is look

Now I’m in a lock

Bounded by that cop

Waiting for the road to hop

I'm gon’ pop

But i'm just the statistic

Waiting around with no implicit

Wondering why they think i'm not complicit

I guess now I'm illicit

But i'm gon’ find a way

I’m gon make it to the bay

Jus move out my way

I’ll take it day by day

Poem for Two Voices

A Night to Remember

It was prom. It was prom.

You looked so handsome.

I could feel the butterflies as;

I looked at you.

But it was prom But it was prom.

I saw you in that tight dress.

I felt the blood rushing from;

down below.

It was a night to remember. It was a night to remember.

I knew every girl lost it but me.

But was it right? .......It was right.

I assumed she was on the;

pill. A girl like that had to be.

It all happened so fast. It all happened so fast.

I didn't know what to feel.

He was experienced;

I was not.

But it was prom. But it was prom.

I didn’t think about seeing;

her again. After all...

It was prom. It was prom.

When I threw up I knew.

I threw away college

Was there another way?

Momma can’t know

Where is he?

Doesn’t he care?

There must be a way

It was one night.

Prom night.

Expository Essay

Is It Purposeful?

Healthcare in general has been a topic of discussion for the majority of human history. Without healthcare, people would be dying of easily cured diseases and infections, and people would be living less full lives. With the cost of healthcare rising at an all time high of 7% in 2014 (highest it has been since the recession of 2007) healthcare is becoming less affordable for lower income families. To add to problems, certain states are creating laws that limit the access of reproductive services. There is a huge problem in the US, healthcare is becoming exclusive to those upper middle class and above. Funding has been cut for healthcare within schools, in lower income neighborhoods, and for programs such as planned parenthood. These cuts not only rise pregnancy rates within underprivileged communities, but pushes stigmas about certain racial groups.

In 2013, Texas passed an anti abortion act that would impact the lives of thousands of women. With the new law in place, 37 of the 42 abortion clinics would be shut down. These abortion clinics are in neighborhoods that need them or use their education and prevention methods. A 2010 Census results reveal that Planned Parenthood is targeting minority neighborhoods. 79% of its surgical abortion facilities are located within walking distance of African American or Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods. Limiting access to clinics such as planned parenthood, harm communities. Planned parenthood offers free sex education, free condoms and free appointments to see healthcare practitioners. It has been proven than these clinics help lower unwanted pregnancy rates and help women seek medical attention after. Once free clinics such as these are taken away, the number of unwanted pregnancy and sti’s increase.

In “ For Colored Girls” Juanita Sims ( a victim of emotionally abusive relationships) wants to open up a free health clinic in her lower income neighborhood. She was denied many grants and loans but she did not lose faith and had a will to find a way to open up her clinic. At the end of the play, Juanita gets a check from Miss Joanna Bradmore. The rich magazine editor. She sees a need in the lower income black neighborhood of her assistant Crystal. Once Joanna see’s how Crystal has been beaten, and a young girl pregnant and about to go to college, she hands over a large check to Juanita. At the end of the play, there is a scene of Juanita in her new clinic teaching what is assumed at risk young women about sex. This explanation of the play adds to the point that taking away funding from at risk neighborhoods only creates more problems.

There is a direct correlation between low income and unwanted pregnancies as well as those going to get back alley abortions due to money constraints. This correlation does not mean causation, but if a planned parenthood were to be placed in neighborhoods with a need, statistical outcomes would decline. According to a planned parenthood fact sheet, “In 2012, we provided nearly 11 million medical services for nearly three million people, and helped to prevent approximately 515,000 unintended pregnancies. Seventy-nine percent of our clients have incomes at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level” . With numbers like these, it is insane to think that the government is cutting funding for programs and clinics such as planned parenthood. With politics comes strong beliefs in pro choice or anti choice when it comes to abortion and planned/non-planned parenthood. There is a chart at the bottom of an article titled “This is What Happens When You Defund Planned Parenthood” and it gives a scary statistic “23,760 births from unplanned pregnancies projected in 2014-15 costing the taxpayer up to $273 Million”. Politicians have decided to cut funding to “save money” but are ending up COSTING them more money. With planned parenthood gone, comes a lot of unwanted pregnancies. And with that comes a social and racial bias.

It is an askewed belief that whites have more access to healthcare than African Americans do. As it is also a belief that whites have more access to education than African Americans or Latinos do. Race-ethnic variation in the extent of accurate knowledge about sexual and reproductive health as well as attitudes toward sexuality and fertility – what can be considered an individual's “sexual literacy” (Reinisch and Beasley 1990) – may be an important factor in unintended fertility disparities, yet few studies have adequately examined differences in sexual and reproductive health knowledge across different race-ethnic groups. Society has pushed those to believe that whites are less likely to get pregnant because of money and education. While there are correlation charts, all are inconclusive. This is because no one single race can be categorized and put into a false stereotype without legitimate evidence. It is media and small mindedness that has led people to believe that it is the fault of racial groups. When in reality, it is the poor economy and health care system that has led negative stigmas. Throughout my research, I have come to the conclusion that stigmas have been brought on by the poor running of our country’s government. Funding cuts and a lack of effort towards underprivileged communities cause a lack of sex education that leads to unwanted pregnancies and a missing system to fall back on for options other than adoption or keeping the child.

Second Blog Post

Since my last post, I have looked at blog comments and revised some of my thinking. I agree with Ms. Romano in that I need to honor these poems and not turn this into a science/political ad. I decided to tone it down on abortion and look at the events in these women's lives that brought them together. I can use the abortion aspect to make my art piece. In that I was thinking about making a poster with a bunch of women with their inner thoughts coming out and how their situation led them to this point. I would like to push the point of some women not being able to afford abortions within the art piece. I would also like to possibly make a toxicology report or a police report for the one woman whose PTSD ridden drunk boyfriend kills the children. In addition to that, I want to write my essay on how horrible events bring people together to form a support system. So I can take the abusive boyfriend, the rapist, the two cheating men to show how the women needed someone to lean on.
Within the choreopoem, these seven women immersed in poverty, racial discrimination, etc find their own inner voice to rise above their situations. It is the self rising that makes these poems so meaningful. Their struggle, their emotions and their new beginnings, marks a transition to a strong female society flourishing within a dominating male society. I would like to delve into these poems and write about what the author is trying to convey about race, and specifically black women and their empowerment. These women were empowered by their horrible situations. This play has been remodeled, made into a movie and risen within the collegiate and arts community. There are some plays where the word "color" was refused to be mentioned when Brazilians were acting. In Kentucky, the play was more about class than race, which undermined the whole point of "for colored girls". While race and class can be intertwined, there is a distinct difference. When Tyler Perry took this play and created a movie out of it, critics raved. The movie was able to push the race aspect within the play and was able to make people feel so many uncomfortable and deep emotions. One scene in particular that gets many critique was the date rape scene. The audience feels the pain, the awkward uncomfortable encounter.

First Blog Post

I have chosen to read the play-write " For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow is Enuf". It is a series of poems written in different points of view of colored women during the 20th century. These poems expose the hardships of being a colored woman. These poems have been sung on Broadway, and also was the basis of the movie " For Colored Girls". I would like to take these women's stories and turn them into research and education. I haven't yet decided if I want to base my project on alley abortions, PTSD and family abuse, or on small non for profit clinics in poor neighborhoods. This play opens up many different issues and choosing just one is hard. I am trying to find a way to connect clinics and abortions without getting too political and ethical. Abortions are a hard topic to talk about when there are many people with many different views on it. I have personal connections with both, as I am in a military family and I also have done extensive  volunteer work in third world countries at clinics.
Alley abortions are done by people that may or may not have any medical training. These abortions are done in non-sterile environments and sometimes no pain medication is given. The people doing these are doing a blind sweep of the uterus and very commonly cause the uterus to scar, making the woman sterile. Infections are almost always a result and it is not uncommon to see a woman rushed to the ER right after the treatment due to blood loss and pain. Women come to these underground locations because they are cheaper, maybe they are too young to get an abortion without parental consent, or because they are scared and want a fix. Abortions done at certified clinics can be very costly and usually require a parent consent for those under 18. Some areas don't have abortion clinics due to religious reasons. I want to do further research on abortions to see what peoples options are.

Those who serve in the military rarely receive mental care. There is no protocol or rule that those coming home from combat need to see some therapists to just get a first glance at their emotions after war. There is also no adjustment period to rehabilitating veterans within the community. It is hard for veterans to get jobs when their only skill was combat. There needs to be a way to help soldiers and give them some skills to go back into society.