Painting by Sumaiyah Wysdom Yates
2022 - Acrylic on Canvas
Brazen and bold.
Lacking no faculties – her mind, body, and soul tight.
Artist and Activist.
Concerned only with her rights, with what’s right.
Kind, cool, calm, and collective…
Her heart alchemically healed by the power of the likes of
Isis.
Strong Black Woman.
Tipping her hat to those who attempt to
Ostracize her.
Reveling in how uncomfortable
You are with the skin she is in…
Mother of Creation.
Oracle.
Nurturer.
Transformed by her scars,
Her head is always held high.
Insistent.
Striving every day to
Evolve…
Vibrating at a higher level, she
Enchants you with her natural beauty –
Realizing the power of her
Yoni.
Measured by the world’s interest in
Opulence,
Nothing
Transcends the wealth of her
Hue.
Fifty-six years in this beautiful Black skin… A self-proclaimed non-conformist, I will not reduce my BEING to 28 days. For me, Black History Month is every month. I have lived it every day for the last 56 years. Why wait for the shortest month of the year to celebrate my Blackness?
I am Black every day. Unapologetically so. Rich with the knowledge of who I am – my essence. Unafraid to be who I am, I can only thank Intentional Creativity for bringing me back to the core of Who I Am. Intentional Creativity gives me the strength to look within, to seek my truth and sit with what is arising.
Part of that strength is no longer allowing the status quo to minimize the Black experience. They say it’s the quiet ones you need to look out for. Well – look out world! Here I come!! My art, my heART, and every fiber of my BEING will always stand strong in my Black roots, heritage, culture, and traditions. Grateful for MUSEA’s Sacred ECHOES of the well circle, where Ethnicity, Culture, Heritage, Oneness, and Everlasting Sisterhood are front and center. It is a testament to the importance of ensuring that Black art and Black voices are heard resoundingly.
“Nothing will work unless you do.” ~Maya Angelou
So said one of the greatest poets, authors, and speakers of our time. A Black woman… So I intend to take this sage advice and do the work to ensure that the Black experience is not relegated to 28 days a year. Black History Month is Every Month…
Sumaiyah Wysdom Yates
Sumaiyah is a Certified Intentional Creativity Teacher, Coach, and Guide. Besides writing, her passion is sharing technology with Creatives from a heart-centered approach. She is the author of Dear Sister: A Book of Poetry and Conversation – a book which guides you through Intentional Creativity processes based on poetry (written by Vicki Lichter). Sumaiyah enjoys many creative pursuits, all done with an Intentional Creativity bent. She weaves wisdom through her Wysdom Wraps, creates resin art, and writes about the Black experience.
