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Home · Culture

Black Women Turned To Twitter To Give Ntozake Shange Her Roses — And It Was Beautiful

From Ava Duvernay to dream hampton, hundreds of Black women reminisced on how the acclaimed author, poet, and playwright changed their lives with her words.
Black Women Turned To Twitter To Give Ntozake Shange Her Roses — And It Was Beautiful
By Paula Rogo · Updated October 23, 2020
Black women the world over took to social media to mourn and reminisce the life and impact of author, poet, and playwright Ntozake Shange. The wordsmith who was “the blueprint for so many young Black female writers, poets and playwrights” passed away Saturday morning at an assisted living home in Bowie, Maryland, her family announced on social media. She was 70. For many Black women, her acclaimed For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf was a rite of passage — and they said as much on Twitter when news of Shange‘s death spread. “So much of what I wanted to do with my writing and my performance was in ‘for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf’ and Sassafras, Cyprus & Indigo,” Poet Bassey Ikpi said in a beautiful thread about Shange’s writing. “It’s corny to say but she did teach us how to sing a Black girl’s song. She really did.”

So much of what I wanted to do with my writing and my performance was in "for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf' and Sassafras, Cyprus & Indigo. It's corny to say but she did teach us how to sing a Black girl's song. She really did.

— bassey ikpi (@Basseyworld) October 27, 2018
“There are complicated Black women that people prefer posthumously. I don’t have Ntozake’s talent, at all. But I know what it is to be one of those women,” acclaimed writer Dream Hampton said. “And I saw God in Ntozake, and I loved her fiercely.”

There are complicated Black women that people prefer posthumously. I don't have Ntozake's talent, at all. But I know what it is to be one of those women. And I saw God in Ntozake, and I loved her fiercely.

— dream hampton (@dreamhampton) October 28, 2018
“Thank you, Ntozake Shange,” director Ava Duvernay wrote after sharing the words of Shange. “Rest now, Queen.”

“Where there is a woman there is magic. If there is a moon falling from her mouth, she is a woman who knows her magic. She can share or not share her powers. This woman is a consort of the spirits.“ Thank you, Ntozake Shange. Rest now, Queen.

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) October 28, 2018
“Ntozake started a lot with FOR COLORED GIRLS and broke many rules,” writer Terry McMillan said. “Hands across my heart. Saddened.” Here are more tweets of remembrance:

I’m trying to find the words to honor the woman who gave me my words as she passes on to the other world. Thank you, Ntozake Shange, for sparking a fire within so many of us that continues to burn in vibrant fury! ❤️🙏🏽

— Amanda Seales 🇬🇩 (@amandaseales) October 28, 2018

light, peace, and progress to the Spirit of Ntozake Shange. Thank you for singing our song, for singing a Black girls’s song. Rest. ✨

— Yaba Blay (@fiyawata) October 27, 2018

She taught us to sing a black girl’s song .....to sing a song of our possibilities. So deeply thankful for her voice #Ntozake pic.twitter.com/PIWS80c2qf

— Michele Norris (@michele_norris) October 27, 2018

Hugs to everyone mourning the loss of Ntozake Shange; thankful for her gifts bringing light and clarity to so many ppl’s lives, especially to BW’s. And so far everyone I’ve read mention they got to meet her in person speak of her qualities and kindness with such affection.💗

— 🆃🆁🆄🅳🆈 (@thetrudz) October 27, 2018

I spent the first five years of my serious writing life trying to look/sound/be Ntozake. I found myself *through* her work. May God bless you always. pic.twitter.com/pgbNr81eLx

— Kima Jones (@kima_jones) October 27, 2018

When I was a very little girl, my mother used to perform Ntozake Shange’s Lady in Green monologue. That’s when I first loved her words. Later, reading about Indigo’s tea parties with her dolls, I felt seen & testified to...

— Imani Perry (@imaniperry) October 27, 2018

Every black woman should read "For Coloured Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf" at least once in their life. And if you must watch it, watch the original version, not the Tyler Perry version. Ntozake Shange was peerless.

— Nanjala Nyabola (@Nanjala1) October 28, 2018

Oh Ntozake I learned so much from you. Your writing deeply affected my black womanhood, sexuality, and vulnerability as an actor. I’m deeply inspired to continue to write, to work, and reveal through characters. Your secrets- your poetry - lives on.

— numa perrier (@missnuma) October 28, 2018

When I first found the words of Ntozake Shange, it was revelatory, it gave me a way forward and a better sense of myself. So thankful for the words that she gave us all. Rest well.

— Blair LM Kelley (@profblmkelley) October 27, 2018
Rest in Power!
TOPICS:  for colored girls who have considered politics ntozake shange
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