KIZA (kee’-za) active n. [from Kiswahili kisa, story.] 1. Story. 2. It’s all about the story.
Black (blak) infinite being [existing before the beginning.] 1. Space, ether, infinity. 2. Color containing all other colors. 3. People embodying space, ether, infinity. 4. Pertaining to the creative substance and all that exists.
Lit (lit) n. [Ebonics; Black English; African American Vernacular English] 1. Literature, spoken and written. 2. Hip, cool and/or energetic. 3. Bright, shining, illuminated, enlightening.
BlackLit (blak-lit) n., v., adj., adv. Brilliant and active literary expressions pertaining to all that exists, created by people who embody space /ether /infinity.
Editor’s Take
BY NJEMILE Z. ALI
Thank you for strolling through Social Roles with KIZA these past few weeks. I’ve enjoyed the experience and I look forward to what will emerge from the darkness running all through everything and constantly creating. Where will KIZA go next? …
Black ACE Happenings
The drums are calling us to the fireside for stories, verse and film from the Black Arts, Culture & Entertainment abundant storehouse. Commune with fellow lovers of the arts …
A Butler Past
Reminded of my goal to explore two genres: graphic novels and Afro-futuristic literature, I begin researching the latter. The name called in article after article is a familiar one: Octavia Butler. While her titles like Parable of the Sower, Parable of the Talents and Kindred are familiar to me, as a younger woman …
Deep Wisdom
NYANSAPO
“Wisdom knot. A symbol of wisdom, ingenuity, intelligence, and patience. The proverb associated with this Adinkra is ‘Nyansapo wosane no badwenma,’ to wit, ‘A wisdom knot is untied (only) by the wise.’” https://www.adinkrasymbols.org/symbols/nyansapo/
Where is the Beloved Community?
My mama was in her flower bed, when it got warm enough, almost every day, especially on a Saturday. Her, the neighbor women, our neighbor next door, two or three houses down. Oh, it was something to see them outside, talking about their flowers, talking about …
Part II: Daisy Century, Historical Interpreter
Dr. Daisy Century, a Philadelphia native, embodies the stories of African American heroines like Cathay Williams, sharing the knowledge and memories with fascinated audiences around the country. I met Daisy at least 30 years ago, when she was a teacher at Salisbury Middle School in Allentown. I was working on …
We Were Never Meant to Be Silent
While others are determined to erase, ignore and silence us, we’re not waiting for permission to speak or ask forgiveness for the sting of our hard truths. We are simply here to preserve our stories and create new ones. …
The Final Loss of Innocence
Womanhood is often defined by anatomical characteristics, such as the possession of a womb and breasts, and is often reduced to nothing more than the ability to give life and satisfy the opposite gender. For me, womanhood is the act …
The Evolution of My Revolution
It was September 5, 1960 and my first day of school in the first grade at St. Teresa’s, the parish school in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill neighborhood. There I sat in the middle of the second row at my little desk, arms extended, hands clasped, my back as straight as a soldier’s.
Bam Ba See Am Look Thing
Things in swing on The Compound; The Khalif and Abi, meh father, them is Lords in they own little world. Well, is more The Khalif is the lord and fellas like Abi them is …
Part I: Cathay Williams, Buffalo Soldier
Can you imagine being enslaved during the Civil War in America? Maybe you can imagine being contraband. Even bolder is the visualization of being a buffalo soldier. One woman, Cathay Williams, lived it all …
A Proper Goodbye
Initially, I was interested in Harold Phifer’s My Bully, My Aunt, & Her Final Gift because I had lost my own aunt. I looked forward to gleaning whatever lessons life threw at me. If we are to be socially responsible, then I trusted the author with leading me through my grief and anticipated my exodus to the other side. However, …
The Welcoming Cemetery + A Portrait on the Beach
It was believed that cemeteries had brought a certain amount of charm and myths to villages, and in 1922 Kingston, it was proven right. There were many stories and so-called legends, mainly from the seniors of Jamaica’s capital city …