Topic > The Empowerment of Black Women in the Book Black Statue of Liberty by Jessica Care Moore

Black women in America have fought tirelessly throughout history to receive the recognition they deserve. One of these women is Jessica Care Moore, author of Black Statue of Liberty. Moore is a world-renowned poet, editor, activist, musician, playwright, and actress. Born and raised in Detroit, Moore exposed herself to writing opportunities through school newspapers and jobs at television networks. To cope with her father's death, she read poetry and became involved in the growing poetry scene of the 1980s. She has written and performed numerous pieces, including Black Statue of Liberty, which uses a multitude of poetic elements to discuss issues that black women have faced in American history. Black women have consistently fought and continue to fight against gender, racial, religious and cultural stereotypes that lead to discrimination, hatred and ostracism. However, they often don't get the recognition they deserve for the way they handle these issues. The battle between Black women and society is too often a struggle easily ignored. Therefore, Moore wrote this poem to empower and pay homage to Black people, and especially Black women, and the struggles they faced and still face today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay With a powerful tone, Moore begins the poem with a vivid image of strength and pride: “I stand on an island, with my fist straight in the air/Scar on my face, thick braids in my hair/Women's boots battle buckled, red blood in the tears I cried. (1-3). This image clearly describes the courage of a woman despite the racial conflict she has suffered. The image of a scar on her face and tears of red blood to a theme of conflict, when he says that tourists “…trip over shoelace lies” (Moore 6) These tourists come from all over the world to see the Statue of Liberty, but they don’t know or care about the history dark behind the American symbol of “freedom.” America's violent history of slavery will always haunt its citizens. Moore speaks of this by stating, “Piece by piece they sent my body to this country/Now that I'm here, your people he doesn't want me./I'm a symbol of freedom, but I'm not free yet/I suffer from inequality of class, race, and gender” (7-10). Humans were brought to America against their will: broken and wounded. America represents freedom, yet this is exactly the opposite. After slaves were freed under the eyes of the law, they were seen as a symbol of freedom, but they were not and still are not completely free. They were not wanted if they did not serve the purpose of slavery. So white people forced them to deal with a different set of problems. Black people are still not free from the same social constraints, racism, stereotypes and discrimination they faced more than a hundred years ago. This led to black men and women facing issues such as “inequality of class, race, and gender” (Moore 10). Moore goes on to write about the way religion was used in a plantation context: “You put a Bible under my arm, after you tore my faith/And made me pray to an imaginary impostor” (15-16). The choice of diction shows something being ripped away from a person, which demonstrates rather violent imagery. This diction is necessary to portray a harsh feeling of a painful idea. Black people's faith was something they could hold onto in difficult times. In the difficult times of slavery, the only thing that could help themdealing with the situation was violently taken away from them and replaced with something false. Whites stripped blacks of their own religion to force them to worship a god they didn't believe in. This was done to keep slaves in line on the plantations. Slave masters would manipulate interpretations of Bible passages and prevent slaves from learning to read to ensure they could control what their slaves thought was true. The Bible is therefore a symbol of both the stripping of the slaves' original faith and the manipulation of a forced religion. The next lines read, “So if you were trying to keep your freedom/Too late, you just lost it” (Moore 17-18). Moore uses these lines to explain the fact that America cannot maintain its status as a symbol of freedom when it comes from a history of such unfreedom. Influential black women writers were essential in the creation of America. Moore names "Assata Shakur Barbara Jordan Nikki Giovanni and Angela Davis./These are the true symbols of freedom/Because that stone-faced French woman won't save us./The same people who enslaved us" (30-33) . These black women liberated blacks with their writings and are therefore the true symbols of freedom. Unlike our Statue of Liberty, which was gifted to the United States by France. The Statue of Liberty is a highly regarded symbol of freedom. So the irony is that both countries involved in its symbolism are involved in slavery, the exact opposite of freedom. The Statue of Liberty is not a true symbol of freedom for black people because it actually symbolizes the slavery of humans in the past of America and France. The true representation of freedom are black women. Through their myriad works, they have empowered and liberated more humans than the Statue of Liberty. This is where the theme of empowerment begins. Moore makes sure black women get the recognition they deserve, starting with self-recognition. She states that “I wear the crown of knowledge, because I am a conscious queen (11). He is aware of the importance of liberation, self-recognition and empowerment. This is why “I am America's true Statue of Liberty” (Moore 14). A black woman aware of such important values ​​is the true symbol of American freedom. Through understanding freedom, self-recognition, and empowerment, Black women can be liberated from America's false ideas of freedom and empower themselves and others to overcome society's constraints. Moore writes more about empowerment stating, “I sit in the back of the bus, because I feel like it” (34). Civil rights leaders empowered blacks to do what they want rather than what they are forced to do. This freed Black people, and especially Black women, from social constraints such as racial and gender stereotypes, racism, and discrimination. Although black people have been free under the eyes of the law for quite some time, they have yet to be free mentally. Through empowerment and self-recognition, Moore is liberating others: “I'm bringing all my people home and freeing them mentally./ I am the beautiful, walking, talking, breathing Statue of Liberty.” (37-38). Moore is liberating and empowering herself and black women, which is why the title of her poem is Black Statue of Liberty. Black women care about so many aspects of life, from caring for your home, loved ones, and children, to liberating and empowering others. They work consistently hard and deserve recognition for their hard work: “I sweep the crack pipes out of the schoolyards / I feed my man when the.