The Prophets(118)
Your unfathomable creativity, artistic achievements, and shining genius made it possible for me to imagine a reality where I had a chance: Wallace Thurman, Gloria Naylor, Alice Walker, Octavia Butler, Zora Neale Hurston, Chinua Achebe, Michelle Alexander, Maya Angelou, Kola Boof, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Edwidge Danticat, Debra Dickerson, Tananarive Due, Nikki Giovanni, Max S. Gordon, Joseph Illidge, Lorraine Hansberry, Ernest Hardy, James Earl Hardy, E. Lynn Harris, N. K. Jemisin, Jamaica Kincaid, Gabriel García Márquez, Ayana Mathis, James McBride, Herman Melville, Nell Irvin Painter, Gabby Rivera, Sonia Sanchez, Ntozake Shange, Danyel Smith, Brandon Thomas, Jean Toomer, and Isabel Wilkerson.
When I was lost, your voice and your song guided me home: Aaliyah, Marsha Ambrosius, Ashford & Simpson, Bobby and IZ Avila, Bahamadia, Anita Baker, Big Freedia, Black Stax, Radha Blank, Mary J. Blige, Boyz II Men, Brandy, Dennis Brown, Foxy Brown, Bry’Nt, B.Slade, Cakes Da Killa, Tevin Campbell, Mariah Carey, Chika, Sam Cooke, Bernadette Cooper, D’Angelo, Frenchie Davis, Deadlee, Smoke E. Digglera, Johnathan Douglass; Earth, Wind & Fire; Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, En Vogue, Rachelle Farrell, Aretha Franklin, Rah Rah Gabor, Kenneth Gamble and Leon A. Huff, Medino Green, “Cat” Harris-White, Donny Hathaway, Lalah Hathaway, Lauryn Hill, Whitney Houston, Phyllis Hyman, Stasia “Stas” Irons, Freddie Jackson, Mahalia Jackson, Millie Jackson, Luke James, Jidenna, Syleena Johnson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Kevin Kaoz, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Ledisi, Lady Leshurr, Le1f, Ari Lennox, Lil’ Kim, Enongo “Sammus” Lumumba-Kasongo, Cheryl Lynn, Janelle Monae, Stephanie Mills, Laura Mvula, Meshell Ndegeocello, Mr. Strange, New Edition, Kimberly Nichole, Gene Noble, Jessye Norman, Sinead O’Connor, Rahsaan Patterson, Leontyne Price, Prince, Rapsody, Della Reese, Rihanna, Amber Riley, Minnie Ripperton, Diana Ross, Sade, Salt-N-Pepa, Bobby Short, Nina Simone, Bessie Smith, The Staple Singers, Sandra St. Victor, Donna Summer, Sylvester, Tank and the Bangas, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Monifah and Terez Thorpe, Tina Turner, Tweet, Usher, Dionne Warwick, Jody Watley, Vesta Williams, Angela Winbush, Stevie Wonder, and Nicole “Lady” Wray.
Seeing you on screens and stages, as well as behind them, gave me self-esteem and the gift of daring to follow a dream: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Adepero Adoye, Kofi Agyemang, Erika Alexander, Alana Arenas, Nicholas L. Ashe, Reginald L. Barnes, Angela Bassett, Nicole Behari, Asante Blackk, Nahum Bromfield, Yvette Nicole Brown, Roscoe Lee Browne, Jade Bryan, Dyllón Burnside, LeVar Burton, Rosalind Cash, Diahann Carroll, Rashan Castro, Rodney Chester, Denzel Chisholm, Stanley Bennett Clay, Michaela Coel, Ryan Coogler, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Laverne Cox, Julie Dash, Loretta Devine, Aunjanue Ellis, Yance Ford, Dawn Lyen Gardner, Marla Gibbs, Rashad E. Greene, Danai Gurira, Lisa Gay Hamiton, dream hampton, Winnie Harlow, Jackeé Harry, Brian Tyree Henry, Monique Angela Hicks, José Hollywood, Gwen Ifill, Dominique Jackson, Michael R. Jackson, Barry Jenkins, Jharrel Jerome, Christopher Jirau, Mustapha Khan, Regina King, Eartha Kitt, Kasi Lemmons, Deondray & Quincy LeNear-Gossett, Donja Love, Moms Mabley, Tina Mabry, Rajendra R. Maharaj, Sara’o Maozac, Sonequa Martin-Green, Sampson McCormick, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Akili McDowell, Edgar Mendez, S. Epatha Merkerson, Janet Mock, Indya Moore, Stacey Muhammad, Terrence Nance, Niecy Nash, Adaora Nwandu, Lupita Nyong’o, LaWanda Page, Keke Palmer, Tammy Peay, Numa Perrier, Tonya Pinkins, Patrik-Ian Polk, Billy Porter, Aamer Rahman, Naima Ramos-Chapman, Dee Rees, Della Reese, Shonda Rhimes, Beah Richards, J. August Richard, Bobby Rivers, MJ Rodriguez, Anika Noni Rose, Angelica Ross, Shaun Ross, Aston Sanders, Narubi Selah, Gabourey Sidibe, Justin Simien, Madge Sinclair, Brian Michael Smith, Justice Smith, Jussie Smollett, Doug Spearman, Darryl Stephens, Tika Sumpter, Ryan Jamaal Swain, Andre Leon Talley, Regina Taylor, Lorraine Toussaint, Cicely Tyson, Leslie Uggams, Gabrielle Union, Alok Vaid-Menon, Pernell Walker, Kerry Washington, Benjamin Charles Watson, Jr., Alek Wek, Rutina Wesley, Emile Wilbekin, Paul Winfield, Oprah Winfrey, George C. Wolfe, Charlayne Woodard, Tyquane Wright, and Bradford Young.
Your unmatchable skill and enviable diligence are wonders to behold. Thank you: Simone Biles, DeWanna Bonner, Elena Delle Donne, Gabby Douglas, Candice Dupree, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Natasha Howard, Mae Jemison, Allie Quigley, Caster Semenya, Courtney Vandersloot, Dwyane Wade, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams.
Thank you for the beauty of aesthetic truth: Derrick Adams, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jamal Campbell, Olivier Coipel, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Jermaine Curtis Dickerson, Bilquis Evely, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, Ramona Fradon, Paul Gagner, Vashti Harrison, Phil Jiménez, Kerry James Marshall, Jamie McKelvie, Kadir Nelson, Mikael Owunna, Jennifer Packer, Gordon Parks, Aaron Radney, Khary Randolph, Trina Robbins, Roger Robinson, Will Rosado, Jacolby Satterwhite, Augusta Savage, Ashleigh Shackelford, Liam Sharp, Alma Thomas, Hank Willis Thomas, Alberto Vargas, Kara Walker, Kara Mae Weems, Kehinde Wiley, and Ashley A. Woods.
Your vision helps me to navigate unkind terrain. Thank you: Gloria E. Anzaldúa, Ella Baker, Joseph Beam, Derrick Bell, Charles M. Blow, Tarana Burke, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Angela Davis, Joy DeGruy, Mona Eltahawy, bell hooks, Barbara Jordan, Barbara Lee, Audre Lorde, Manning Marable, Marlon Riggs, Assata Shakur, Harriet Tubman, Desmond Tutu, and Malcolm X.
Your courage is a balm, but also a shield. Thank you for service and sacrifices: Mumia Abu-Jamal, Phillip Agnew, John Amaechi, Robert Bailey, Dee Barnes, Jesse Ray Beard, Mychal Bell, Richard Blanco, Lanisha Bratcher, Robyn Crawford, Wade Davis II, Anita Hill, Rachel Jeantel, Marsha P. Johnson, Carwin Jones, Gia Marie Love, Erica Malunguinho da Silva, Erica Malunguinho da Silva, Antron McCray, Michel’le, Wes Moore, Bree Newsome, Stella Nyanzi, Bryant Purvis, Raz-B, Kevin Richardson, Sylvia Rivera, Yusef Salaam, Karol Sanchez, Raymond Santana, Theo Shaw, Bryan Stevenson, William Dorsey Swann, Ciara Taylor, Zaya Wade, Jewel Thais-Williams, Korey Wise.