On the Streets of Atlanta

“To be free is to wear our colors as bright as they can shine,” said Susie to Minnie.

“To wear our colors is to own dresses that truly belong to us,” said Minnie to Savannah.

“To own dresses is to be free humans of our own control,” said Savannah to Susie.

Every step we took down that scorching Atlanta was more than the typical daily stroll about town. We were a movement, a message. We were free and every person that had the privilege of laying their eyes on us would know it. Bright colors because we had never been allowed to wear them before. We didn’t get to wear real dresses. Tattered cloth doesn’t count. There wasn’t a person on the earth that could take the happiness we felt that day from us. We saw the white women watching us in disgust. They didn’t approve of or understand the skip in our steps. They didn’t understand why we twirled those parasols every few seconds. They probably never will.

Abbie Brooks never knew the chains of slavery. Abbie Brooks never knew the fear that crawled up our skins every morning, noon, and night. Abbie Brooks never knew the bitter taste of bondage so that she could love the sweetest tastes of freedom. She doesn’t know that those “incongruent patterns” are the paths we took to fight our way to these Atlanta streets. She doesn’t know just how easy she has it. Every aspect of free life is new to us and we aren’t ashamed to take advantage of it.

Talking to each other whenever and however we please, is an experience we’ve never had. Imagine spending your whole life not being able to control when you laugh, cry, walk, or talk. Could you think about not knowing whether or not your child would be held in your arms ever again? That pain and fear haunted us our entire lives. It will not have that power any longer. As black women, we will live our lives. We will share jokes and songs with our family and friends. We will love each other and ourselves. We will live the life of free women and no one, not a white man or an Abbie Brooks, will tell us other wise.