Burdens We Bear
Poems and Writings About My Experiences as a Woman of Color
by
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We Are Not Inferior Sometimes my heart can’t take it And I must walk away For my own soul salvation I must find a quiet place As I turn I am reminded Of the grief stricken who have no choice But to face the darkness left behind By loved ones who no longer have a voice Their light and laughter silenced by hatred By those taught they are superior As times goes by their blood still cries “We are not inferior.” Sometimes my mind can’t take it And I must turn the page To look at life during other times Look at history during another age But sadly, I find the same stories Inscribed by hatred and anger, murder and pain As I search for relief I continue to see Burned and mutilated black bodies swinging in the rain Their light and life silenced by ignorance By those taught they were superior As time has gone by their blood continues to cry From the grave “We are not inferior.”
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About the Book
Burdens We Bear is a collection of the author’s heartfelt and thought-provoking poems allowing you to better understand the joys and pains of her experiences as a woman of color in America. The book opens with the sobering challenges of “Waking Up Black,” followed by “We Are Not Inferior,” a quiet but strong declaration that gives a voice to past, present, and future generations. Poems such as “First Cousins,” “When We Were Young,” and “Jars with Lids” are presented to remind the reader of childhood memories and to give us a pause and a place for our minds and hearts to rest and smile while “Sidewalk Shopping” and “Homeless Query” serve to give a voice to homelessness. The heart of the book is found in challenging poems such as “Summer of 91,” “Original Sin,” “Stony Hearts,” and “4th of July.” The beauty and anguish of black experience is communicated in waves on these pages. The tone of the hard work needed for reconciliation is stitched throughout. The admiration of famed Harlem Renaissance poet, Langston Hughes, is both seen and felt in many of her writings.
About the Author
Selena White is a native of Akron, Ohio, where she and her two sisters were raised by their parents, Charles and Lorraine Horton. She married Ukali White in 1994 and the two have 4 children, three of whom have graduated from homeschool and whose writings are often featured along with her own. Selena is not only an author, she’s also an educator, a public speaker, a workshop presenter, a mentor to women, and a sought after private tutor. She has a heart for teaching History to the next generation, especially the History of people of African descent. Her ‘Representation Matters’ teaching series does exactly that and has been viewed by many via Facebook Live Video. Selena and her family have attended Christ Community Chapel in the Highland Square area of Akron, Ohio since it was established. They were drawn there because of the opportunity to be part of a multi-ethnic Christian community. Their passion from the beginning has been to help followers of Christ, of different ethnic groups, break down the barriers between them to build authentic and lasting relationships. As a 43-year-old woman of color, Selena writes from her experiences and from the perspectives of a wife, mother, daughter, teacher, and a follower of Christ. It is her desire that her writing becomes one of the many tools in the fight to bridge the ever-widening gaps between ‘black’ and ‘white’.