Book Review: Color, Sex, & Poetry: African American Lesbian Poet and Writer Angelina Weld Grimke Will never be forgotten

When people think about the Harlem Renaissance they usually think of Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Dunbar Nelson, Jean Toomer, Jesse Fauset, Wallace Thurman, Carl Van Vechten, Countee Cullen, Richard Bruce Nugent, and perhaps Alain Locke. One of the forgotten members of this elite group of black writers is Angelina Weld Grimke. I love Angelina Weld Grimke’s poetry she was an incredible poet and writer.

Angelina Weld Grimke was born Feburary 27 1880  in Boston Massachusetts and she died June 10 1958 in New York City. Angelina’s family was a very privileged and prominent American abolitionist family. Angelina was named after her famous white abolitionist grandmother. Angelina has a biracial heritage, her father Archibald was an African American lawyer and her Sara Stanley was a white woman. Ms. Stanley abandoned Angelina when she was a young child. Its kind of sad that Angelina wasn’t more famous during her lifetime but she was known for her evocative passionate poetry. Angelina Weld Grimke is an amazing poet her poetry is pure art like a painting in a gallery her work will never be forgotten.

The information I have read about Angelina Weld Grimke is very depressing it appears her father Archibald controlled her life. Angelina was very insecure she constantly doubted herself. Angelina could not function without Archibald’s consent. Angelina had to live in the closet and she cared for her father until he died.

However, I think Angelina’s poetry although some of it is dark there is some hope that exists. My perspective is through poetry Angelina was able to become ”alive” and “express” herself and her longing for a female lover through poetry. Angelina’s poetry definitely has many themes of lesbianism but also feelings of depression and loneliness as well. After Angelina’s father’s died in 1930, she moved to New York City and lived in seclusion for the rest of her life and stopped writing.

According to Gloria T Hull’s biography, “Color, Sex, & Poetry”, the death of Angelina’s father had a profound negative effect on her physical and mental health. Hull states that Angelina’s relationship with her dad Archibald was borderline incestuous in the sense she saw her father as the only man in her life. Angelina’s love life was fraught with relationships that didn’t materialize into anything fruitful.

One of my criticism’s of Hull’s book is she doesn’t explore in more detail the issue of black lesbianism and its significant role in Angelina life. Hull’s book is heterosexist there is a presumption of heterosexuality. Hull ignores the importance of lesbianism in Angelina Weld Grimke’s life. Angelina Weld Grimke is perhaps the first black lesbian woman in the twentieth century to write so passionately from the black lesbian perspective. Grimke’s work is crucial and important to black gay history. Hull glosses over the importance of Angelina’s lesbian identity in relation to her art and racial identity.

Hull claims that Angelina had relationships with both men and women. Perhaps Angelina did have relationships with men but she certainly didn’t want a serious long term relationship with a man. It is clear that Angelina loved and desired other women. I also doubt whether Angelina was actually sexually attracted or interested in men either.

My argument is, perhaps the reason Angelina was so “close” to her father was due to the fact she had a conflict about her sexual orientation? Could it be possible Angelina had some feelings of repression about being a black lesbian? Maybe Angelina was afraid to be on her own or maybe her father made her feel guilty? Angelina desired the male approval of her father because she was distressed about being a black lesbian.

Another criticism I have of Hull’s book, I think she is too judgmental of Angelina Weld Grimke’s writing her analysis is a hindrance at times. Hull writes from a modern point of view. Hull is entitled to her viewpoints but it is unacceptable that she bashes Angelina Weld Grimke for writing short stories about lynching. Although Angelina Weld Grimke was privileged, she still was cognizant about the horrors of lynching. Thousands of blacks were lynched during the early part of the twentieth century. Lynching was a very important social issue it was a form of terrorism and genocide against the black race.

I believe it is such a disservice for Gloria T Hull to patronize Grimke’s writing and consistently make statements that she didn’t feel the “writing” was great. Hull obviously doesn’t get it. The important issue is the historical importance of Angelina’s writing. It is obvious editors and publishers responded to Angelina’s writing because she was able to get her work consistently published.

Doesn’t Gloria T Hull understand in relation to history the so called “literary merit” isn’t the most important issue? The central issue is the fact Angelina’s work was published in the first place! Black women in the early twentieth century in the United States encountered racial, social, economic, and gender oppression. Angelina Weld Grimke’s work is very vital and important primary source material.

Angelina Weld Grimke wrote about lynching because she was attempting to communicate to society about the injustices against black people. Hull complains too many times that she doesn’t think Angelina Weld Grimke’s writing is “great”. I didn’t purchase “Color, Sex, and Poetry” for a literary review.

The purpose of the book is to explore the life of Angelina Weld Grimke. Why should the reader take Hull’s views as the absolute truth? Why is Hull trying to diminish and downplay the importance of Angelina Weld Grimke’s writing? Hull concentrates too much on race and politics and not about lesbianism. I think it is just plain homophobia on Gloria T Hull’s part to ignore the importance of black lesbianism.

It is typical of black heterosexuals in academic sphere to try to attempt to diminish and downplay black queer history. Well here I am reclaiming Angelina Weld Grimke as an important black lesbian writer. Angelina is important to me as a black gay man because this is a part of my history. It is so crucial for black gay people to know in the early 20th century black gay and lesbian artists existed and wrote from the black gay and lesbian perspective. The book “Color, Sex and Poetry” has undercurrents of homophobia that I find disgusting and abhorrent.

It is such a slap in the face to black lesbian history that Gloria T Hull consistently criticizes such an acclaimed black woman writer. I also question if Gloria T Hull is a heterosexual woman? I just don’t think straight people understand the terror, repression, depression, and despair some gay people experience. Angelina Weld Grimke encountered racism, homophobia, and gender oppression. I think it is incredible Angelina was able to get work published consistently for a period of time in her life.

Angelina Weld Grimke is a very important black lesbian writer because she was one of the first black women writers to provide a black woman’s perspective to the world. Also it must be pointed out most of Angelina Weld Grimke’s work isn’t even available for the public to view anyway. Grimke’s work is held in universities across the United States and are considered important historical documents.

I cannot take some of Gloria T Hull’s criticism of Angelina Weld Grimke’s work seriously because she isn’t thinking about the time and space the work was created. Big deal if Gloria T Hull didn’t like Angelina’s work that was published. Who cares? Hull’s comments are annoying and disrupts the flow of the book. Obviously Angelina Weld Grimke’s short stories were important enough to be published in established journals during her lifetime such as the birth control review.

During the first half of the twentieth century, homosexuality in the United States was considered a mental disorder and illness. Perhaps, Angelina wanted an affirmation and acceptance despite fighting the internal turmoil in her life? Hull’s book doesn’t dig beneath the surface and explore the importance and difficulty black lesbians had in the early twentieth century. Hull does discuss a little bit that Angelina Weld Grimke was a black lesbian but I wanted more information. Hull doesn’t spent enough time discussing the intersection between lesbianism, race, gender, and class enough.

Hull believes Angelina had a very unhealthy relationship with her father because she was so emotionally dependent on him for approval for everything. Angelina didn’t really become an adult, be independent emotionally and psychologically and live her own terms. Of course, one has to remember the early twentieth century was very patriarchal and a woman of Angelina Weld Grimke’s very high social standing was expected to be pristine and proper. Hull states that Angelina Weld Grimke lived in a prolonged adolescence and when her father died this shattered her self confidence.

Angelina Weld Grimke was a teacher for a period of time in her life and it was during this time she wrote poetry. Angelina’s poetry is very passionate and it explores the importance of the black lesbian erotic through art. Black lesbians had few social spaces in the early parts of the 20th century to meet each other to explore their life experiences. One of the areas where lesbianism was able to thrive was through art. Angelina also was a gym teacher during her lifetime although she did come from a wealthy background.

Angelina Weld Grimke is a black lesbian poet she is famous for her anti lynching play “Rachel” which the NAACP commissioned in 1916 and published in 1920. Grimke’s play was one of the the first plays ever produced to have an all black cast. The play centers around a young black woman Rachel from an upper middle class family. Rachel refuses to have children because she is against lynching and racism.

The play “Rachel” received good reviews in Washington DC and New York City. Grimke actually wanted the play to demonstrate that upper class blacks were not inferior to whites. Angelina Weld Grimke is most famous for her incredible poetry that was published in very popular journals, magazines, and newspapers during her lifetime. I close my eyes and I imagine the imagery in Angelina’s poems they have so much detail such as colour, sound, texture, emotion, alliteration, conviction, and strength.

The odd thing about Angelina Weld Grimke is that most of her poetry wasn’t published during her lifetime. Hull’s book ” Color, Colour, Sex, and poetry” is one of the few books that actually provides a portrait of Angelina Weld Grimke’s life. Angelina became inimical as she aged and suspicious of other people. I urge you all to visit the local public library and read this book.

The only reason I would recommend Gloria T Hull’s “Color, Sex, and Poetry” to readers is because it is one of the few books that actually provides an in depth analysis about Angelina Weld Grimke’s life. Hull’s analysis is fraught with generalizations and I also believe homophobia as well. The book focuses too much on the issue of race and ignores sexual orientation. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gloria T Hull is straight because it is obvious to me straight people just don’t understand the double lives gays and lesbians have to live in order to survive in society.

Can you imagine being a black lesbian in the early part of the twentieth century? Angelina Weld Grimke’s work is so important to black gay and lesbian history because she is an affirmation black lesbian love was real.

Here are some links to Angelina’s incredible poetry. A lot of Angelina’s poetry is about unrequited love or about love that is ephemeral. “The Eyes of my regret” is my favourite poem by her. Another wonderful poem Angelina wrote is called Rosabel that really explores lesbian passion. Angelina is bold in this poem Rosabel not afraid to declare her love for another woman and to make love to her. The emotion, the passion, the feeling in this poem is beautiful. Another poem I love that explores the lesbian erotic is “give me your eyes” its such a powerful poem and Angelina’s usage of language here is very romantic and sensational.

Examples of Angelina Weld Grimke’s Amazing Poetry:

http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/49613-Angelina-Weld-Grimke-The-Eyes-Of-My-Regret

Another poem by Angelina Weld Grimke: Tenebris

http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/49581-Angelina-Weld-Grimke-Tenebris

Link to Femme Noir more info on Angelina Weld Grimke’s life and the poem ”Rosabel” and other poems.

http://www.femmenoir.net/new/content/view/315/176/

Angelina Weld Grimke poems: Evanescence, Butterflies, and grass fingers.

http://washingtonart.com/beltway/grimke.html

If you want to learn more about Angelina Weld Grimke’s life the Modern American Poetry link is here:

http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/g_l/grimke/herron.htm

Marion Jones tearful press conference and fall from grace

     Marion Jones is obviously a very shrewd young woman. Marion did not deny she was wrong and she begged the public’s forgiveness for her transgressions. The question is the public going to have sympathy for Jones given the fact she was so adamant in other press conferences of being innocent ?  Marion’s press conference yesterday felt sincere and honest. I don’t think she should go to jail she’s a young mother with two young children. And what would that accomplish anyway? I think Marion has already experienced  enough humiliation just by the fact the lie she hid for so many years has been shattered.

                According to the NY TIMES Marion Jones may have been involved in a bank fraud scheme and that’s the “real” reason she decided to come forward. The evidence against Marion was growing and she had no choice but to tell the truth.

            Marion Jones is such a smart young woman and even she has fallen  to the temptation of greed. It was greed that cost Marion Jones her track and field career. The USA society is a bit inconsistent with values. In America its all about winning at any means necessary. Let’s be honest, here Marion Jones may be the biggest USA star to be caught cheating but she won’t be the last. When is the American media going to turn up the heat on the USA Track and Field Association? And what about the USA Olympic committee? I mean handing out thousands of dollars for gold, silver, and bronze medalists should this program be continued? Maybe that’s also an incentive for athletes to cheat? In Canada, Canadian athletes get into sports for the love of the game there are very few financial rewards in Canada for athletes.

          However, I do think she should be stripped of all five medals she won at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney Australia. I do have some empathy for Marion at least she told the truth finally. I  felt so sad when she cried. I really do believe Marion knows what she did was wrong. However, rules are rules and she broke the rules.

         Also, what about Marion’s teammates in the 400 relay? The other American women on the team will be stripped of their medals as well. I am sure they aren’t thrilled about Marion Jones at the moment. The worst thing about Marion Jones fall from grace is that she waited seven long years to tell the truth. 

        I guess for Marion she now has a free conscience she can look herself in the mirror and know her mind is clear of any lingering doubts about coming clean.

              The USA Track and Field Association’s reputation world wide has been tarnished not just because of Jones but also because of their inconsistency to dealing with these kinds of scandals. I mean every few years somebody in the USA Track and Field gets caught. I think the worst part about this was the fact Marion was so adamant in the press for so long that the media was wrong and yet everyone knew the truth was going to come out sooner rather then later. For Marion Jones though she is hoping the truth will set her free. From what I have read this is long from over for Marion Jones.

Link to NY Times article  :http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/06/sports/othersports/06balco.html?em&ex=1191816000&en=8bc6fe5260e0f6a0&ei=5087%0A

Why are the “conscious” rap artists ignored? Are Rap Artists The new minstrels?

I know I’m late writing about the whole Kanye West Vs 50 CENT record sales battle but I had to listen to both albums. I got to say Kanye wins by a landslide. I’m not really into rap music. I remember when I was a kid during the golden age of rap music in the late 1980s early to 1990s rap music was so much more pure. I liked listening to MC Lyte, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff, Queen, Roxanne Shante, Supersonic, Salt and Pepa. Rap music meant something back in those days when I was a young kid. And now rap music has transformed into something I don’t even understand anymore.

BET had a hip hop town hall episode called Hip Hop Vs America recently and I got a chance to watch the program. And I feel like the vicious cycle was just repeating itself. I mean its the same discussion that takes place over and over again and again. I suggest to anyone that bothers to read my blog to pick up an anthology collection of essays called “Everything But the Burden” edited by Greg Tate. “Everything But the Burden” should be available at any bookstore or on Amazon.com or even better I am sure its available at any public library.

In the book, “Everything But the Burden”, black scholars discuss the issues of racism, sexism, and a little bit about homophobia in rap music. However, the most important issue “Everything But the Burden” discusses in detail is the issue of capitalism. And I feel that’s an issue everyone casually ignores. 70% of the rap music bought is not by blacks its by white youths most likely from the suburbs.

On the BET special, the rappers like Nelly and Ti appeared to be very defensive. The scholar and  writer Michael Eric Dyson and the feminist from Essence Magazine slammed the rappers. And the issue of homophobia in hip hop wasn’t talked about much. A lot of the discussion was about misogyny. Of course, misogyny and the degradation of black women is absolutely abhorrent and unacceptable.  The rappers say they are red blooded men and they have a right to talk about heterosexual sex. I think that’s fair. However, Nelly’s video for “tip drill” is just disgusting.

I think the real issue that wasn’t discussed in detail was the record label executives. Why were the white record label executives absent from the BET special? I think they are the ones that have to be held accountable to a certain extent. Its the white executives the corporate bosses at the major record labels that have the power to  block or release  an album. The labels decide which “rap artist” I mean “minstrel” they sign to their label.
On a recent Oprah show, she also had a town hall this year about rap music and the thing is one guest mentioned the rappers are the new minstrels.  The framework for Oprah’s town hall was all wrong once again. Oprah tries to blame black men for the language used by young people. Oprah is such a misandrist she will blame black men for everything if she could. You just cannot take a classic black man hater as Oprah seriously. Of course, mammy Oprah won’t point the target where it should be at the white male record executives.

Black people don’t own the major record labels. The big record labels are owned by whites so obviously they have the economic power. The rappers are the new minstrels. Unlike the old minstrels back in the early part of the 20th century, these young black rappers have a choice. Yet the young black rappers choose to make a profit at any means necessary. The black minstrels in the early 20th century didn’t have many choices due to racist proscriptions that prevented blacks from advancement in society. The black minstrels they danced around in blackface and sang for white audiences to make money.

Now, I think its pretty hard for people in the 21st century to criticize black artists in the early part of the 20th century. A lot of the black entertainers that did engage in the minstrel shows did so for economic survival. Yes there were blacks that could afford to attend college in the early part of the 20 century. However, for plenty of blacks during the early 1900s entertainment was a way out. The truth is, there were a lot of proscriptions in the early part of the 20th century and Jim Crow laws that prevented black advancement in society. One of the areas black people entered into to make a living was the minstrel shows.

And now when you think about it aren’t some rappers just “minstrels.” People need to know a lot of rappers are “studio gangsters”. Ice Cube was not “poor” his parents are academics and they work at  UCLA! Yes Ice Cube was raised in Compton California but his parents were not poor. There are plenty of other rappers that are from middle class backgrounds to even upper class backgrounds but they play the “poor rags to riches” storyline because it sells.  White kids like listening to rap music because they are entering their “Nigger Heaven” as Carl Van Vechten wrote about.

The white kids can have a voyeuristic kind of look at “the world” the rappers are rapping about. Yet the problem is, the rap music is not “real” its “artificial” and its ugly. The rappers stereotype the black community to make a profit and the white kids “love” listening to the “blacks” talk about how bad we got it. Its a constant vicious cycle and its the reason why I stopped listening to most rap music a long time ago.  Rap Music it is racist, sexist, garbage, homophobic, stereotypical filth. The rappers are only concerned about maximizing their profits and the white kids are only interested in getting close to the “blacks”. Heaven forbid they would actually want to “change places” with “poor blacks”.

Black kids and especially the white kids in the suburbs I think like rap music because for some of them its a form of “rebellion” just like in the 1960s when white kids listened to “rock and roll”. Some rap music is considered “dirty” and “tainted” and “forbidden” and the record companies conduct research. They find out  what the white and black kids like and they sign artists that provide the crap the kids want to listen to.  The record labels realize the rappers have to cross over in order to sell more records they have to reach a wider demographic therefore they have to do “things” to get the white kids to buy their music. Kanye West is refreshing he reminds me a bit of Will Smith in the fact he’s just a regular ordinary young black man that’s intelligent, has talent, and is a good entertainer. Talib Kweli he also is a “conscious” rapper but he’s never had the record sales Kanye West has had. Kanye West is the first “conscious” rapper from the new generation that has been able to somehow crossover and appeal to all demographics. Kanye is definitely marketed well. Perhaps that’s Kanye’s image or gimmick to just be himself? The thing is though very few rappers that are successful now in rap music are “like” Kanye West.

50 CENT became famous because he proudly proclaimed that he got shot nine times. 50 CENT glorifies violence but I feel he may disappear in the next few years for a few reasons. One, 50 CENT is over 30 and music’s young consumers are a fastidious bunch they like what is hot and current at the moment. Second, it gets kind of tiring listening to 50 CENT boast about his masculinity and how great he is all the time.

The  labels want to sell as much records as possible because with people downloading music now record sales have plummeted. People just don’t want to pay $15 to $20 dollars for a CD anymore.

My question is, are Kanye West and 50 CENT the best hip hop can offer? I have to admit Kanye  is absolutely gorgeous I’m not going to lie he’s nice to look at. And unlike some rappers he appears to me to be a bit more intelligent although also outspoken as well. West also it appears to me has a different kind of image that I find appealing. He isn’t trying to be this super aggressive stereotype of the young black male that I feel 50 CENT gravitates towards. West is also against homophobia and I think its cool that a young black heterosexual male in the media like West can denounce homophobia. I think its very encouraging.

I think Kanye West’s music is alright, but I certainly don’t listen to a lot of rap music these days. I listen to a lot of R&B, jazz, pop music, and yes even a little bit of folk. I like Ani Difranco and Tracy Chapman’s music a lot as well. I find a lot of the lyrics for rap music these days to be a bit childish and immature. I do find Kanye’s lyrics and music to be a bit more intelligent and insightful. I think Common is pretty good and I’m glad his latest album did debut at no.1 as well on the billboard top 200 chart recently. Talib Kweli is also a very talented rapper that unfortunately hasn’t had incredible record sales. I think the issue is why don’t record labels sign more rappers that have different things to say. It seems to me a lot of the current rappers are very materialistic and its tacky to see P Diddy flash his jewelry or Ludacris to flash his cash in a music video. I mean is that all there is to rap music these days?