A tribute to Ntozake Shange
I met Ms. Shange in 2014. She was scheduled at a tribute performance of for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow in enuf in New York hosted by Erich McMillian-McCall of Project One Voice. This was the beginning of what would be 30 performances later that week staged worldwide honoring Ms. Shange. He needed someone to make certain all of her needs were met and that she was comfortable. Of course, I was the person for this job and I gladly accepted. She and I immediately hit it off, as she was very easy to work with and seemed to want assistance.
Later, she was scheduled to travel back to the Metro Washington DC area her publicist Evette Lewis asked if I would ride the train back with her. Again, I was most definitely the person for the job. We were able to talk more during the ride. Shortly after that her family offered me the honor of working with her. Thus, began my time as her personal assistant and friend.
She was always so humbled and moved by the love and outpouring of support her work received. She also loved the energy being on stage gave her---the excitement of performing and lecturing. She painted images with her words and the audience would come along for the ride. I once asked her did she ever get tired of seeing for colored girls performed. She said, “No because the poetry contained in this work is the voice of the voiceless. I speak for the women who can’t speak for themselves. I united two of my favorite genres, poetry and dance and what you see on stage is the result. It’s my job to say what I see.”
Over the past 4 years I traveled with her because of her mobility issues. I had the opportunity to visit many places, seeing locales and sitting in circles I probably would not have access to. Among them the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Barnard College in New York, Karamu House Theatre in Cleveland, the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA and Davis and Elkins College in Elkin, WV. Everywhere we visited she was received with excitement, graciousness and reverence. I would watch from backstage and see people sometimes sit with her and cry as they told her how her poetry changed their life, how she doesn’t know how much she means to them and how they were the Lady in Orange 5 years ago.
I took her to Bowie State University, Bowie MD where I was Theatre Professor a few years ago. Below are some pictures of her with the students. We would also visit local theatre venues and just before walking in she would say, “I don’t want anyone to recognize me. I don’t want to be a distraction” I would tell her “Do you know who you are? Do you think anyone is not going to recognize you?” We had local gigs including Busboys and Poets on K St NW in Washington, DC on October 23, 2018. This would be her last public appearance.
I will truly miss my friend, my sister my shero. The icon of the pen, the wordsmith who would sit on her chaise lounge and dictate poetry and lectures to me, while my fingers would work overtime just to keep up. The woman from Trenton, New Jersey who dared to write real stories and poems about women and people of color before it became fashionable or cute. The Barnard College alumna who was one of the only 4 women of color admitted that year. This beautiful spirit who was as generous a person as she was skilled as a writer.
Ase Queen. Paz y bendiciones