An Anthology of African American Women CONFIRMATION 0 Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones) & Amina Baraka 0 New York 1983 Contents INTRODUCTION JANUS ADAMS St. Stephen: A Passion Play FATIMAH AFIF Tanka FAYOLA KAMARIA AMA for "Mamie" JOHARI M. AMINI There Is No Title: Only Echoes The Promise Story for the Remainder MAYA ANGELOU The Reunion TONI CADE BAMBARA Madame Bai and the Taking of Stone Mountain AMINA BARAKA Soweto Song Haiti I Wanna Make Freedom Sortin-Out BRENDA CONNOR-BEY Pretending Martha The Dancer GWENDOLYN BROOKS Primer for Blacks To Those Of My Sisters Who Kept Their Naturals Requiem Before Revival LUCILLE CLIFTON for her my dream about being white morning mirror JAYNE CORTEZ Rape There It Is You Know Big Fine Woman From Ruleville For the Brave Young Students in Soweto ALEXIS DE VEAUX ... And Then She Said French Doors: A Vignette The Woman Who Lives in the Botanical Gardens Y. W. EASTON The Welcome 0 8 MARI EVANS 105 I Am A Black Woman Where Have You Gone Speak the Truth to the People early in the mornin Lois ELAINE GRIFFITH 110 Prince Harlem NIKKI GRIMES 120 Fragments: Mousetrap Definition The Takers VERTAMAE SMART-GR6SVEN6R 124 Skillet Blond SAFIYA HENDERSON 131 Portrait of a woman artist harlem/soweto letter to my father... a solidarity long overdue AKUA LEZLI HOPE 141 Lament August 1. MARIAH BRITTON HOWARD 145 reports a using solution #9 0 9 LATEIFA-RAMONA LAHLEET HYMAN 150 Paraphernalia for a Suicide: a revelation of life ADRIENNE JNGRUM 152 Loomit Friday the 13th Candlelight March RASHIDAH ISMAILI 162 Murderous Intent with a Deadly Weapon Dialogue Struggle of Class MAE JACKSON * 168 For The Count A POEM FOR ALL THE MENS IN THE WORLD On Learning My Last Feeling This Way Poem GAYL JONES 174 Ensinanqa ANASA JORDAN 177 Sweet Otis Suite JUNE JORDAN 180 ON THE REAL WORLD: Meditation #1 Blue Ribbons for the Baby Girl A Last Dialog on the Left Poem Towards a Final Solution 0 io ABBEY LINCOLN (AMINATA MOSEKA) 185 I am the Weaver On Being High In The Middle A Name Change AUDRE LORDE 191 NEED: A Chorale of Black Women's Voices ESTHER LOUISE 198 enough it's all in the name running to gone for us tokens for "t" PAULE MARSHALL 203 Barbados MALKIA M'BUZI 218 Lament Tree Women Quest for Sun... ROSEMARI MEALY 221 A Love Poem to an African Freedom Fighter untitled New Chapters fqr Our History LOUISE MERIWETHER 230 A Man Called Jethro 0 11 TONI MORRISON Recitatif MARGARET PORTER Sugarman when i rite inflation AISHAH RAHMAN Transcendental Blues The Lady and the Tramp FAITH RINGGOLD from Being My Own Woman CAROLYN M. RODGERS Mannessahs Touch: Translation Poem 4. Touch: Poem 5. Aunt Dolly Folk Wimmin SANDRA ROGERS Waiting For Her Man Too Long SONIA SANCHEZ A Poem for Sterling Brown Just Don't Never Give Up On Love Old Words Present Kwa mama zetu waliotuzaa 0 12 JUDY DOTHARD SIMMONS 330 Minority Equal Opportunity Linseed Oil and Dreams ELEANOR W. TRAYLOR 333 The Fabulous World of Toni Morrison: Tar Baby ALICE WALKER 353 I Said to Poetry FAMILY OF Each One, Pull One I'm Really Very Fond Representing the Universe MARGARET WALKER 361 MY TRUTH AND MY FLAME THIS IS MY CENTURY... Black Synthesis of Time FIVE BLACK MEN .... I HEAR A RUMBLING ... FANFARE, CODA, AND FINALE MICHELE WALLACE 374 The Envelope REGINA WILLIAMS 378 ASYLUM For our life is a matter of faith I AM NOT MY SISTER'S KEEPER: I AM MY SISTER 0 13 SHERLEY ANNE WILLIAMS from "The Iconography of Childhood" you were never miss brown to me a record for my friends this city-light the wishon line GERALDINE L. WILSON REFUGEE MOTHER OUR CHILDREN ARE OUR CHILDREN NZADI ZIMELE-KEITA (MICHELLE MCMICHAEL) Birds Of Paradise long road rhythm what we know NOTES ABOUT AUTHORS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 0 14 .