Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa: Black life at the intersection of birth and death
Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa: Schwarzes Leben zwischen Geburt und Tod
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.
von reproduktiver Gerechtigkeit hörte.
about Reproductive Justice.
was defined by Sister Song as:
reproduktive Gerechtigkeit definiert als
if and when she will have a baby
ob und wann sie ein Kind haben möchte
under which she will give birth.
sie gebären wird.
to decide if she will not have a baby
sich gegen ein Kind zu entscheiden
oder Beendigung der Schwangerschaft.
or ending a pregnancy.
to parent the children she already has
das Kind, das sie bereits hat,
und gesunden Umgebung zu erziehen
all about the joys of motherhood.
die Freuden der Mutterschaft.
beim Schaffen eines Wunders zuzusehen.
weave wonder into this world.
for something so big, so early.
für etwas so Wichtiges, früh anzufangen.
kann, eine Mutter in diesem Land zu sein.
to stomach motherhood in this country.
über Elternschaft beigebracht
has taught me more about parenting
wie einige Frauen Babys gebären
give birth to babies
Nachkommen gebären wird,
that this body will birth kin
to be held in prison cells
in Gefängniszellen festgehalten werden,
about being Black in America
um meine Kinder richtig zu erziehen
to raise my kids right
because it is wrong,
stehlen soll, weil es falsch ist
to justify his death?
um seinen Tod zu rechtfertigen?
for his Skittles and sweet tea
und seinen Eistee bezahlt,
who will watch him
und warten nicht, bis sie da ist.
and not wait for them to come.
dass die Polizei kommt?
when I consider calling 911.
wenn ich überlege, 911 zu wählen.
that they will not come and kill my son.
nicht kommen und meinen Sohn töten.
die Schlingen losgeworden,
of the nooses,
immer noch als Lynchen,
when they murder Black boys
for four hours in the sun.
in der Sonne lassen.
about being Black in America
in Amerika dafür sorgt,
eines Morgens aufwachen
der Nachrichten letzter Woche sehen,
of last week's story.
aufwachen und merken,
wouldn't even be newsworthy.
nennenswert ist, in den Medien.
is the only Black woman
Bland sei die einzige schwarze Frau,
more than our silence.
als unsere Stille.
dark-skinned daughters in distress
dunkelhäutigen Töchtern in Not,
between the lives of your genders?
mit euren Geschlechtern korrespondieren?
nothing is a great protector
that looks like this.
kommst, der so aussieht.
about being Black in America
in Amerika sorgt dafür,
es herbeizusehnen.
I look forward to.
about dead Black children to be naïve
über tote schwarze Kinder,
Tages ein Gedicht über meine Kinder gäbe.
be a poem written about my kids.
die Gedichte auf die Welt brachte.
who gave birth to poems.
anstelle eines Sohns
who doesn't fit into this world.
dass nicht in diese Welt passt.
who will live forever
die für immer leben
TEDWomen Conference eingeladen,
about art and performance.
nicht um Kunst und Performance.
about Black Lives Matter.
Black Lives Matter gab.
eingrenzen sollte,
about Reproductive Justice.
reproduktiver Gerechtigkeit handeln würde.
my inability to separate the two.
Unfähigkeit, die beiden zu trennen.
when Trayvon Martin was murdered.
als Trayvon Martin ermordet wurde.
schwarzer Junge,
actually values Black life.
schwarzes Leben wertschätzt.
and healthy communities
und intakten Gemeinden
or the state or government.
dem Staat oder der Regierung.
Verantwortung gezogen wurde
was not held responsible
in the United Stated of America
eine Mutter zu sein, in den U.S.A
die aussehen wie ich,
the Reproductive Justice framework
der reproduktiven Gerechtigkeit,
zu verbinden.
about Reproductive Justice
reproduktive Gerechtigkeit lernte
in the Movement for Black Lives,
Movement for Black Lives aktiv war,
to see and feel these similarities.
Zusammenhänge sehen und erleben.
zusammenzubringen?
und dieses Gedicht
das Gedicht zu schreiben,
versuchen mit Schaufeln
nicht entscheiden zu schweigen.
to remain silent.
keinen Raum für Angst."
portion from my talk,"
meines Vortrags streichen",
our stories were being denied
erneut die Bühnen
they deserve to be told on.
the words I had just spoken.
die ich gerade gesprochen hatte.
to remain silent.
nicht entscheiden zu schweigen.
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