Hating, to see him in me, hating to see you in me, hating to see the black in me. (two beats) And you know I’m thirty-two years old and I still cry when I see little Black girls with red ribbons in their hair. You wouldn’t buy me them you said I was too black to wear red. No little red dresses, or red socks. Cause I was too black for red. (getting emotional) Too black to wear red? And you know last week I bought Tasha fourteen red ribbons and put all of them in her hair, yep all fourteen of them in her hair. (laughs to herself) And Tasha looked in the mirror and laughed and said “Mommy, I think I got too many ribbons in my hair”, and I said “no baby Mommy just like to see you in red. It’s my favourite colour.” (two beats) And I wanted to believe that you tried to love me, but I just couldn’t feel it. I couldn’t compete with Sandy. Because I lost that race before I even started. And I’ve been trying all my life to win it. Not to get you to love me as much as you love Sandy but just a little bit. And now you’re dead. (beat) And I know I’m suppose to feel something. Maybe cry, maybe mourn. I want to feel something. And for God sake you’re my mother and your dead! And I want to feel something and I can’t. I want to cry and I can’t. (Two beats, she tries to convince herself.) Maybe at the funeral I’ll cry. Because I’m wearing a black dress, a black hat, black shoes, black stocking all black. All black. Mom, I’m wearing all black! Mom could you just look at me! I’m wearing all black! Please will you just look at me…? I’m wearing all black. (three beats) I’ve been wearing black all my life.

All the women enter individually and state proudly “I’ve been wearing black all my life.” NIA looks at them. This sends them into a healing song, in which they rock together. They perform a healing ceremony which goes through various emotions of discovery, anger, self-healing and love. The dance also offers NIA pride, self-identity, comfort, love, and joy of being a black woman. The women dance a celebratory dance. This is a celebration. A celebration of life. They then close the coil from the opening scene. NOVELETTE enters the dance at the end… Inhales and exhales and smiles at them proudly and proudly states.

NOVELETTE:

I’ve been wearing black all my life.Blessings.

The End

trey anthony – Playwright

“What I am trying to do is put Black culture on stage and demonstrate to the world—not to White folks not to Black folks, but to the world—that it exists and that it is capable of sustaining you. I want to show the world that there is no idea or concept in the human experience that cannot be examined through Black life and culture.”

August Wilson.