The story of a woman who grew up in a time when it was not safe to be black. In a time where as a black person you has to choose to be pro violence or anti violence, but you had to believe in something. And in a time where every black person is fighting for the same thing- equality. She has decided, due to circumstance to become a member of the Black Panther party. She is a strong woman, with a history of violence from her mother. But the Black Panthers saved her and taught her how to be strong and strive for something better. When she decides to come face to face with her demons she finds that when you fight, sometimes you will find yourself on the losing side, behind prison walls watching the world change around you. But through all of the years she is able to see change happen, things get better for the black race that she so passionately fought for.
DI/ Female- I Raise My Fist
- (Scene opens with a woman standing in front of us reading a letter. She finishes and addresses the audience.) I love to get letters like this. Letters saying (Reading) “I wasn’t even alive back then but thank you for your years of service to help our people.” (Smiles) I have kids in high school and college doing reports on me because they think I’m famous. (Beat) My goal was never to be famous, hell I didn’t think I was worth nothing when I was growing up because that’s what my momma told me and my daddy wasn’t no where to be found. So if my momma tells me I’m a worthless piece of shit, well hell I gotta believe that that is exactly what I am. Do you know what that feels like? To look at yourself in the mirror and not be able to see anything because you are too busy hearing all of the negative things in your head? “ Naomi you ain’t worth nothing. Naomi I wish you would run away like yo sorry ass daddy did. Naomi I should have given you away the day I had you.” (Beat) Yeah, crack will make you say some crazy things. Hurtful things. I believe that it was my momma that gave me the strength to leave home at fifteen. Yeah I was about (Looks in audience) your age, yeah I was about your age when I woke up one morning and looked around my room and realized that this place was not my home. I packed a backpack of clothes, crept to my momma’s room and she was strung out on the floor covered in her own vomit, crack pipe in hand. I stole all of her money out of her wallet; sixty-five dollars and I ran. I literally ran out of the house and down the street.