When was the last time you felt the warm scalp of a woman
Run your fingers through her hair
Twisted her natural locks through your fingers
Or walked your fingers through the rows of braids
Just like walking through the fields of corn

When did you see the true beauty of your African Woman?
Or saw a flawless dark skin?
Or kissed her natural plump lips?

From the days of slavery black women were told
“You gotta have hair like ‘Massa’
Don’t want no nappy hair black as sin gal in the house”
The beautiful black women were kept on the cotton fields
While those that had lighter skin
the products of the slave masters
were kept as house slaves
If your hair was long and straight
without a natural crinkle it was your bonus
A passport to heaven
A ticket to the illusion of freedom

Now, I hardly see an original black woman
They all seem to have become
Chinese, Brazilian, Indian and European
Flicking about hair that is not their own
That may be from a horse, a yak or a plastic factory
Afraid to show their natural beauty
Afraid because their men have been conditioned
to think that a perfect woman
has straight hair and fair skin
Afraid because their sisters
would laugh and tease them for their tight curls

Wake up!
Have you ever really looked
at the beauty of a black woman
all natural and dark?
The way her teeth and eyes sparkle
in contrast to her skin
The way her hair feels soft
like the ears of corn
Or woolly like that of a new born lamb
Twisting and curling itself through your fingers
True feelings exploding
through the shaft of natural hair

Men! Treat your natural woman with respect
Women! Rise up for the natural woman who dared
For her inner strength her inner pride
have made her able to go against the norm
To show her true self
The way God made her… Perfect
A beautiful black woman

***

 
Link to the Italian translation