Liza Jessie Peterson responds to Kim Kardashian's "Paper" cover with her "Black Ass Manifesto." 

BLACK ASS MANIFESTO

THE ASS
The Black Woman’s ass commands great power and has historically been adored, scorned, sold, lusted for and objectified. The Black ass, the original African seat of humanity, is ancient and powerful, mystifying even. With my Black African ass up close, I aim to honor and salute its beauty and antiquity. I also aim to provoke thought, as the Black woman’s ass currently dominates newsstands with a plethora of Black booties, perched and poked out, shined up and paraded on magazine covers, hypnotizing passersby and dominating the window display. Erotica and burlesque is nothing new or shocking. However, it’s through hip hop videos that scantily clad gyrating booty-clapping “vixens”, commonly referred to as “hoes”, were launched into pop culture. This circus parade of super-sized booties conjures forth reflection upon the historical obsession and exploitation of Sarah Baartman, aka Venus Hottentot, circa 1810. With today’s Urban Hottentots, some of the images are digitally enhanced (bigger is regarded as better), and many women are getting cosmetic surgery to increase the size of their buttocks by injecting silicon. It’s the age of plastic surgery to achieve a big plastic butt.
Amid entertainment media’s pop culture obsession with celebrating the stripper and prostitute as a celebrity, I am inserting my body as a work of art into the conversation, presenting the totality of a fragmented Goddess, whole and sacred again. I offer an image of Black erotic revolutionary beauty; honey on the blade, if you will. An Ancient Goddess Warrior Homegirl Healer Artist Woman. We’ve seen them before. I am not the first. I am not the last. Just a reflection, a reminder.

THE ART
On my left ass cheek is a lotus and peony flower floating on the primordial waters of the ancient African Kemetic Goddess Nun, whose celestial waters are flowing out from my seat of power, my sacred womb. The waters swirl into a spider web because women are magic weavers of life. On my right ass cheek is a lotus and peony flower riding on the same primordial waters of the first mother, the African Mother, swirling into the galaxy because we are cosmic. The top of my seat is crowned by a beautiful orchid flower with vines and lady bugs that cascade down the sides of my ass framing the entire mystical scene.

THE MEDITATION
The history, the power, and the controversy over the Black booty, along with the symbolic tattoo Art on my Beautiful Black Ass, is a meditation, indeed, on self-defined erotic beauty. Honey on the blade.

The Philadelphia born / New York actress, poetess, musician, playwright, comedian, model and educator is featured in the Sundance award-winning movie "Slam" and Spike Lee’s "Bamboozled", she also co-starred in "Love the Hard Way" with Adrienne Brody. TV credits include HBO’s "Def Poetry Jam" and PBS’s popular children’s show "Between The Lions". Her poetry is published in the "Vibe History of Hip Hop", "SLAM The Book", "BumRush The Page" and "The Longshot Anthology". Her two solo shows include: Chiron’s Homegirl Healer Howls: a One Woman Funk Opera, and The Peculiar Patriot ™, a multimedia production that toured prisons across the country.

Original Airdate: 11/13/14

"Make It Plain," hosted by Matsimela Mapfumo-Mark Thompson, is a political, human rights, and breaking news program which airs on Sirius XM Progress 127, M-F, 6-9p ET. Follow us on Twitter.com/makeitplain and Facebook.com/makeitplain

To hear entire episodes of Make it Plain, and for a free trial, go to www.siriusxm.com/ondemand


Free SiriusXM Trial

Liza Jessie Peterson's Black Ass Manifesto: A Response To Kim Kardashian

Featuring Janelle Monáe, Deep Cotton, St. Beauty, Jidenna, Roman GianArthur, and George 2.0.

Liza Jessie Peterson's Black Ass Manifesto: A Response To Kim Kardashian

mipdo

Related tracks