Mood Indigo
it hasnt always been this way
ellington was not a street
robeson no mere memory
du bois walked up my father's stairs
hummed some tune over me
sleeping in the company of men
who changed the world
it wasn't always like this
why ray barretto used to be a side-man
& dizzy's hair was not always grey
I remember i was there
i listened in the company of men
politics as necessary as collards
music even in our dreams
our house was filled with all kinda folks
our windows were not cement or steel
our doors opened like our daddy's arms
held us safe & loved
children growing in the company of men
old southern men & young slick ones
sonny til was not a boy
the clovers no rag-tag orphans
our crooners/we belonged to a whole world
nkrumah was no foreigner
virgil akins was not the only fighter
.
it hasnt always been this way
ellington was not a street
- Ntozake Shange
This poem, written by Ntozake Shange, is the basis for a delightful picture book illustrated by Kadir Nelson.
Except for a brief mention on the inner dust jacket, there is little explanation about the poem, itself, or about Shange's life. The jacket says: "In a reflective tribute to the African-American community of old, noted poet Ntozake Shange recalls her childhood home and the close-knit group of innovators that often gathered there. These men of vision, brought to life in the majestic paintings of artist Kadir Nelson, lived at a time when the color of their skin dictated where they could live, what schools they could attend, and even where they could sit on a bus or in a movie theatre."
Shange was born October 18, 1948 to Paul T. Williams (an Air Force surgeon) and Eloise Williams (an educator and a psychiatric social worker). According to Shange's biography on Wikipedia, when "she was 8, Shange's family moved to the racially segregated city of St. Louis. As a result of the Brown v. Board of Education court decision, Shange was bussed to a white school where she endured racism and racist attacks." At that time, her name was Paulette L. Williams.
Shange is a self proclaimed black feminist and much of her work addresses issues relating to race and feminism. The biography states that "her family had a strong interest in the arts and encouraged her artistic education. Among the guests at their home were Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Chuck Berry, and W. E. B. Du Bois." In 1971, Williams changed her name. Ntozakhe means she who has her own things (literally things that belong to her in Xhosa) and shange means he/she who walks/lives with lions (meaning the lion's Pride in Zulu).
On the last two pages of the book are "mini biographies" of Paul Robeson [see previous posts], William Edward Burghardt (W. E. B.) Du Bois, Ray Barretto, Earlington Carl "Sonny Til" Tilghman, John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, Virgil "Honey Bear" Akins, and "The Clovers." Members of this singing group were John (Buddy) Bailey, Matthew McQuater, Harold (Hal) Lucas Jr., and Harold Winley, with guitar accompaniment by Bill Harris.
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| "robeson no mere memory" |
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| "du bois walked up my father's stairs" |
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| "hummed some tune over me sleeping in the company of men who changed the world" |
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| "our house was filled with all kinda folks our windows were not cement or steel" |
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| "our doors opened like our daddy's arms held us safe & loved" |
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| "children growing in the company of men old southern men & young slick ones" |
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| "sonny til was not a boy the clovers no rag-tag orphans our crooners/ we belonged to a whole world" |
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| "nkrumah was no foreigner virgil akins was not the only fighter" |
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| "it hasn't always been this way ellington was not a street" |
***
"For what our lives were
And what we wish our children's lives to be."
~ Ntozake Shange
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