DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Ain't I A Woman? newspapers, June 1970-July 1971

Transcribe
Translate

Ain't I A Woman? newspapers, June 1970-July 1971

1970-10-09 "Ain't I a Woman?" Page 8

we've begun doing something revolutionary; we've begun to think of women as the people.

[hand drawing of several women. One holding a rifle.]

WOMEN are The People

i like to think of harriet tubman 

I like to think of Harriet Tubman. 
Harriet Tubman who carried a revolver, 
who had a scar on her head from a rock thrown 
by a slave-master (because she 
talked back) , and who 
had a ransom on her head 
of thousands of dollars and who 
was never caught, and who 
had not use for the law 
when the law was wrong, 
who defied the law. I like 
to think of her. 
I like to think of her especially 
when I think of the problem of 
feeding children. 

The legal answer 
to the problem of feeding children 
is ten free lunches every month, 
being equal, in the child's real life. 
to eating lunch every other day. 
Monday but not Tuesday. 
I like to think of the President 
and the law, and the problem of 
feeding children, I like to 
think of Harriet Tubman 
and her revolver. 

And then sometimes
I think of the President 
and other men, 
men who practice the law, 
who revere the law, 
who enforce the law 
who live behind 
and operate through 
and feed themselves 
at the expense of 
starving children
because of the law, 
men who sit in paneled offices 
and think about vacations 
and tell women 
whose care it is 
to feed children 
not to be hysterical 
not to be hysterical as in the word 
hysterikos, the greek for 
womb suffering, 
not to suffer in their 
wombs, 
not to care, 
not to bother the men 
because they want to think
of other things 
and do not want 
to take the women seriously. 
I want them to take women seriously. 
I want them to think about Harriet Tubman
and remember, 
remember she was beat by a white man 
and she lived 
and she lived to redress her grievance, 
and she lived in swamps 
and wore the clothes of a man 
bringing hundreds of fugitives from 
slavery, and was never caught, 
and led an army, 
and won a battle, 
and defied the laws
because the laws were wrong, I want men
to take us seriously. 
I am tired wanting them to think 
about right and wrong. 
I want them to fear. 

I want them to feel fear now
as I have felt suffering in the womb, and 
I want them 
to know 
that there is always a time 
there is always a time to make right 
what is wrong, 
there is always a time
for retribution
and that time 
is beginning. 

--Susie Griffin
reprinted from 
issue #14 of 
It Ain't Me Babe 

8  vol. 1 Number 7 Ain't I

Saving...

we've begun doing something revolutionary; we've begun to think of women as the people. [hand drawing of several women. One holding a rifle.] WOMEN are The People i like to think of harriet tubman I like to think of Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman who carried a revolver, who had a scar on her head from a rock thrown by a slave-master (because she talked back) , and who had a ransom on her head of thousands of dollars and who was never caught, and who had not use for the law when the law was wrong, who defied the law. I like to think of her. I like to think of her especially when I think of the problem of feeding children. The legal answer to the problem of feeding children is ten free lunches every month, being equal, in the child's real life. to eating lunch every other day. Monday but not Tuesday. I like to think of the President and the law, and the problem of feeding children, I like to think of Harriet Tubman and her revolver. And then sometimes I think of the President and other men, men who practice the law, who revere the law, who enforce the law who live behind and operate through and feed themselves at the expense of starving children because of the law, men who sit in paneled offices and think about vacations and tell women whose care it is to feed children not to be hysterical not to be hysterical as in the word hysterikos, the greek for womb suffering, not to suffer in their wombs, not to care, not to bother the men because they want to think of other things and do not want to take the women seriously. I want them to take women seriously. I want them to think about Harriet Tubman and remember, remember she was beat by a white man and she lived and she lived to redress her grievance, and she lived in swamps and wore the clothes of a man bringing hundreds of fugitives from slavery, and was never caught, and led an army, and won a battle, and defied the laws because the laws were wrong, I want men to take us seriously. I am tired wanting them to think about right and wrong. I want them to fear. I want them to feel fear now as I have felt suffering in the womb, and I want them to know that there is always a time there is always a time to make right what is wrong, there is always a time for retribution and that time is beginning. --Susie Griffin reprinted from issue #14 of It Ain't Me Babe 8 vol. 1 Number 7 Ain't I