Nina Simone - Young Gifted And Black

Well, it's that time again--school begins on Monday. My granddaughter, Amanda, begins high school on Monday and she is very excited. I am also excited. However, I am also reminded that going through teen years can be very challenging today, especially in the midst of our media dominated culture. As a young African American woman she will face even greater challenges.

The media has been relentless in its treatment of the image of young African American women and as we have seen on MTV, VH1 (see previous blog) BET and others seem to have a vendetta on the image of women of color. I have grown quite weary of "bitches" and "hos".

I remember the song "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" when I entered high school. I used to blast it on the record player--drove my mom crazy. The image of Nina Simone on the cover was beautiful. She was a black woman of consciousness like many other black women of the time--Angela Davis and Kathleen Cleaver spring to mind. They inspired me to be proud of the fact that I was a young black woman.

So I wanted to introduce Amanda and other young African American women to this song and to Nina Simone. Listen and read the words. Keep them close at hand and remember, as Nina sings, "When you are young, gifted, and black, that's where it's at."

Lyrics:

To be young, gifted and black,
Oh what a lovely precious dream
To be young, gifted and black,
Open your heart to what I mean

In the whole world you know
There's a million boys and girls
Who are young, gifted and black,
And that's a fact!

You are young, gifted and black
We must begin to tell our young
There's a world waiting for you
Yours is the quest that's just begun

So when you feel really low
There's a great truth you should know
When you're young, gifted and black
Your soul's intact

To be young, gifted and black
Oh how I long to know the truth
There are times when I look back
And I am haunted by my youth

But my joy of today
Is that we can all be proud to say
When you're young, gifted and black
That's where it's at