When the rainbow ISNT enough

I finally sat down to watch Tyler Perry's 'For Colored Girls'.  I didn't find myself rushing to theaters to see it during its opening weekend . One reason being I always seem to be the magnet that draws the one person who loves to talk during the entire movie.  The thought was grooling, especially in knowing what a powerful piece it would hopefully be.  When I first heard about Tyler Perry  putting together his rendition of the book 'For Colored Girls who have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf.', I paused. I kept thinking, so far this man has been so successful at helping to bring back a lot of good black films, please God let him truly bring alive Ntozake Shange's work. Call me a nerd, but I am a stickler for reading books before seeing the movie. Now a days movies are put out so fast, I find myself having to read the books after, or even putting off reading it in the future. But with all of the power behind the human imagination, seeing the movie before the book can certainly alter your perception beyond what anyone might think.

                        I heard rave reviews after opening weekend. So many people had negative responses.  What I heard from the mouths of most people, 'Its just like the movie 'Precious'. You only want to see it once.'  Now I remember seeing the movie 'Precious' and I did say to myself, I probably won't buy this on DVD, only because I knew I didn't need to watch a movie about something that happens every day in this country behind closed doors. Movies are simply here to bring forth visual to that. I watch the news enough to get the picture. Trust me.

In the forefront of my mind as I am listening to the reviews and the critics,

I am thinking, there is no WAY you can get a room full of talented, amazing, beautiful and god gifted black women on a set, and not produce magic.

That's impossible.

Before I knew who the cast consisted of, I prayed that Tyler Perry would choose WISELY.

I had an idea from past roles in other movies, which black women I felt would truly BRING IT, and leave us never forgetting. Kimberly Elise was the first name that came to mind. And there she was, showing the world what a black mother must endure, during what I consider the most heart wrenching part of the movie. How do you come back to life, after being drenched in such a devastating memory of your children? The moment I really listened as Phylicia Rashad's character said to her 'baby, you can't be living to die.' And the first thought in my mind is, where are neighbors like this, when our black women are going through moments in time like this every day, where are our neighbors who come to bring light to the strife they are facing? Today, most times we are neighbors who don't know one anothers name , as we  pass one another on the streets nearby .

The theme 'Everybodys got a story to tell'

sang loudly throughout each story that was told.

Rape, murder, HIV, lies, betrayal, abuse, denial--just a few of the myriad of things that in reality continuously plagues our community today. The wounds of these secrets we try to keep are so "deeply rooted" for so many black women. To save face

we often find ourselves throwing glitter in the air. A way of  distracting the world from our truth. But its all there. 

'Somebody almost walked off wid alla my stuff.' I will say, Loretta Divine definitely set a tone for that poem in the movie. Not only did I laugh at her whimsical character, but you find yourself really listening, as you realize that these are not just scripted lines throughout the movie, these are poems, the voices, the unheard scriptures of black women.

Poetry is our religion. 

Poetry is our 'Sister Circle', that stands so easily unlinked in our world.

And most importantly poetry is our voice.

And I think what is to be understand from the book as well as the movie is this--

Our colored girls are still out here, considering suicide everday, and the rainbow is not enough.

                              If we as a black community do not attempt in coming together,

to heal, protect ,provide, and improve something that has gone on for so many years and will continue to go on, then we will always stay shackled and scorned as a people where we are, as we are, and live our lives watching the rainbow, pass us by.

  :::KG::::