Black Culture Cannot Be Silenced

I asked the community earlier this year, why do you write? After months of ongoing submissions answering the question it's safe to say Black authors are the reason our culture will not be silenced.

For too long, Black culture has been whitewashed and watered down to keep us feeling less than. Kendrick was right when he said they picked the wrong ones to play this game with anymore. We realized the game is rigged so we have stared to opt out of the hustle to win.

We are winning on our own terms now.

We are defining what freedom truly means, aside from the basic human necessities.

It’s no surprise the discoveries triggered us all into finding our safe space in our notebooks with the comfort of a pen between our fingers. We explored the answers to our questions by following that burning desire to put the pen to the paper and let the words flow.

We write to break the silence, we publish to allow our stories to never be erased.

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Breaking the Silence

Ashley Noel

Why do I write? Is the easiest most complex question to answer! I write for a release, I write to calm my anxiety, I write to express my true raw emotions!

Noo I write because I’ve been silenced since birth, that’s it! That’s the deep core we sometimes never want  to hit! To much hurt, to much pain, too much anxiety, hell for some people too, much truth!  Truth is I’ve been taking a spiritual journey to look into me, find me and be peace with me! And in the midst of it, I had to do that shadow work and baby its been kicking my ass.  The lies, gaslighting and manipulation I’ve dealt with in my whole 38yrs of living is crazy.

It funny how those things didn’t have a name to me until I started doing the work on myself! The biggest words for me have been Manipulative, Narcissist and the gaslighting.  Its even harder because it’s the people close to you that usually do the most damage. The unrepairable damage that they don’t see. 

So a pen and paper became my best friends at an early age!  I’m the only child so I was alone most of the time if my friends couldn’t come over, or I had body to ride bikes with. I would sit and write about an alternate reality cause mine sucked. I started writing at 12, it was an escape from my reality. Couldn’t tell on the outside but things were not amazing. Some childhood trauma, mixed with dad coming in and out, and mom doing the best she can to provide and keep me happy. On the outside life looked amazing but on the inside I was struggling mentally and emotionally.

I started with poetry. My reality was nothing like what it looked like on the outside. Nobody knew exactly what was happening behind closed doors. And the once that did ignored it! Talk about needing an escape. So I would sit and write poetry for hours and hours. Up until maybe 16, I got deeper into reading more and writing more. In 2004 I lost  my grandmother due to doctor negligence one hardest pills to swallow. But losing her prompted me to write more I got into photography as well because of her. Right before she was taken from me, she bought me my first camera, we went to SEARS, yes I said SEARS lol. She bought me a Pentax camera, silver with black trim, was the most amazing thing ever.

 After that I made her a promise that I would never give up on my writing and photography.  I joined ACT-SO is a part of the JR  NACCP  for photography, we went to state competitions, we had our art work set up in a local  African American art museum.  All the while I’m still writing but my writings were personal, private, just for me. Too ashamed to actual share.  Which is why I started writing in the first place, nobody to talk to, nobody to vent too, no siblings, I had friends but they all had siblings.

Like I said I was silenced since I could talk the adults didn’t know how to properly communicate, so  I never actually knew how to talk about the things that really bothered me. But with the way life throws curve balls, and life being life I gave up on my dreams. But I still wrote for me and my mental stability.

Sometimes I sit with my notebook and have the deep conversations that I cant have with the adults that I need to have them with. Or after having these conversation I need to get more off my chest because baby talking to narcissistic people isn’t for the weak! They will try to break you down and gaslight you until you are in there control.

I write to escape the daily bullshit of life, the daily ups and downs that cant be controlled or explained. The crazy parts of being a parent an co parenting! 

I write for me and my mental health, for me to show up and show out in ways I felt that weren’t done for me. 

I write to be the best parent I can be, still mixed with some crash out but hey who isn’t..

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Editor’s Note

Thank you to every Black reader that reads AND ENGAGES with the work published through Blackstack publication. Without the support of Black writers contributing to keep these newsletters coming regularly, AND the support of Black readers ENGAGING with the work this publication would not have the success of giving Black creatives a platform. Every month as we grow closer to one year of operating I am amazed by the overwhelming support.

Over 6,000 subscribers in only 11 months!!!

THIS IS WHY OUR CULTURE WILL NEVER BE SILENCED!

THANK YOU,

Jacquie