Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa: Black life at the intersection of birth and death
Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa: La vida negra, entre el nacimiento y la muerte
Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa is a storyteller, a truth-teller, a builder and breaker trying to figure out what it means to be human in a world that removes so much of our humanity in order to survive. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
about Reproductive Justice.
sobre la justicia reproductiva.
was defined by Sister Song as:
definió la justicia reproductiva como:
if and when she will have a baby
si quiere tener un bebé y cuándo tenerlo
under which she will give birth.
to decide if she will not have a baby
a decidir no tener un bebé
or ending a pregnancy.
o interrumpir un embarazo.
to parent the children she already has
a criar los hijos que ya tiene
all about the joys of motherhood.
sobre la dicha de ser madre.
weave wonder into this world.
un milagro y traerlo a este mundo.
for something so big, so early.
algo tan grande, tan anticipadamente.
to stomach motherhood in this country.
para ser madre en este país.
has taught me more about parenting
me ha enseñado más sobre crianza
give birth to babies
dan a luz a bebés
that this body will birth kin
dará a luz a familiares
to be held in prison cells
a ser encarcelados en prisión
about being Black in America
en Estados Unidos
to raise my kids right
a mis hijos correctamente
because it is wrong,
no robe porque eso es malo,
to justify his death?
para justificar su muerte?
for his Skittles and sweet tea
y su té dulce
who will watch him
and not wait for them to come.
y no esperarán que llegue?
when I consider calling 911.
mi mente cuando considero llamar al 911.
that they will not come and kill my son.
a matar a mi hijo.
of the nooses,
de los ahorcamientos,
when they murder Black boys
cuando asesinan niños negros
for four hours in the sun.
horas al sol.
about being Black in America
de ser negro en Estados Unidos
of last week's story.
de la noticia de la semana pasada.
wouldn't even be newsworthy.
será de interés periodístico.
is the only Black woman
es la única mujer negra
more than our silence.
que nuestro silencio.
dark-skinned daughters in distress
de piel oscura en peligro
between the lives of your genders?
vidas de los géneros determinados?
nothing is a great protector
that looks like this.
about being Black in America
de ser negro en Estados Unidos
I look forward to.
about dead Black children to be naïve
de niños negros para parecer ingenua
be a poem written about my kids.
haber un poema acerca de mis hijos.
who gave birth to poems.
que da a luz poemas.
who doesn't fit into this world.
que no encaja en este mundo.
who will live forever
about art and performance.
de arte y representación.
about Black Lives Matter.
sobre Black Lives Matter.
acortar mi charla TED
about Reproductive Justice.
"justicia reproductiva".
my inability to separate the two.
mi incapacidad para separarlas.
when Trayvon Martin was murdered.
Trayvon Martin fue asesinado.
actually values Black life.
las vidas de la gente negra.
and healthy communities
y comunidades saludables
or the state or government.
o del Estado o el gobierno.
was not held responsible
no se consideró responsable
constantemente
in the United Stated of America
los Estados Unidos de América
the Reproductive Justice framework
de la justicia reproductiva
about Reproductive Justice
justicia reproductiva
in the Movement for Black Lives,
el movimiento por la gente negra,
to see and feel these similarities.
y sintieran estas similitudes.
por escribir ese poema,
que algunos intentan enterrar
to remain silent.
guardar silencio.
portion from my talk,"
Black Lives Matter de mi charla",
our stories were being denied
a nuestras historias
they deserve to be told on.
merecen ser contadas.
the words I had just spoken.
que acababa de decir.
to remain silent.
guardar silencio.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa - Writer, youth worker, freedom fighterMwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa is a storyteller, a truth-teller, a builder and breaker trying to figure out what it means to be human in a world that removes so much of our humanity in order to survive.
Why you should listen
Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa is a Kenyan Queer Womyn speaker and performer. Katwiwa is an award-winning, internationally touring poet, author, host, youth worker, social-justice speaker, teaching artist and workshop leader who has spent her life at the intersection of arts, education and activism. Her work in Reproductive Justice, the Movement for Black Lives, LGBTQ+ advocacy and poetry have been featured on Upworthy, OkayAfrica, the New York Times, For Harriet, Everyday Feminism and more.
As a writer, Katwiwa has always centered storytelling as an avenue to create change and believes in "speaking things into existence." Her work is heavily influenced by her heritage and her pan-African upbringing, and centers "the other" and "the in between," places she has often found herself occupying as a black, queer immigrant and emigrant. Her experience of the power of words and stories to impact the lives of those sharing and receiving has pushed her to share and teach the craft as a tool of resistance and advocacy.
Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa | Speaker | TED.com