Bronx SHēk

Pardon my back, but these dudes out here gonna make me take it to a whole other level. I had to switch it up on ’em.  RE-DEFINE it on ’em. Get Soul Survivor Writer on ’em.

The title Bronx SHēk (pronunciation of ‘chic’ not to be confused with ‘chick’) was inspired by a moment that occurred just a couple months ago, when a guy questioned my “Bronx Chickness.” I guess he was accentuating I was fake; because of how I was raised and how I moved, and made decisions. In other words, I was born in the Bronx but my mannerisms didn’t fit the role.

He said to me, “I need me a REAL Bronx chick” At the time I was so distracted by not fitting into his standards of a “real chick” that I didn’t even realize how stereotypical his standards were.

Granted, there are some things I’m still learning as a woman. But how does me being a real woman have anything to do with where I was born and raised? So because my father moved me out of the Bronx and raised me elsewhere I don’t fit the role of a real Bronx chick? What does that even mean?

Fast forward, weeks later, I was brainstorming for my second Creative LLC’s Paint & Play spoken word piece at Apostrophe Lounge, and for some reason, that moment came back to me. Everything I didn’t say to him overflowed and the contractions of birthing Bronx SHēk began. It created an indescribable roller coaster of sad, angry, positive, kiss-my-ass emotions.

https://youtu.be/FcHJ96XV2gk

Ladies!

Let’s do those out there, who are dividing us by putting us into stereotypical categories to fulfill their insecurities a good service. Let’s come together and make this world better for the future, our children. Let’s show them that we are more than our hood (where we were born) and some. Yes, we may rock name brands, but they do not define us.

Let’s not get so distracted by money and possessions that we become blind to what’s happening around us. Let’s start embracing our own swag and stop trying to copy the swag of another for the sake of “fitting in.”

Let’s put all that we have learned into a pot and brew something uniquely strong, elegant, and  beautiful. I’m here to tell you, you are NOT just a chick from Baltimore. You are NOT just a chick from Bokoro or San Juan. You are NOT just a chick from the Bronx.

You are Baltimore SHēk.

You are Bokoro SHēk.

You are San Juan SHēk.

You are Bronx SHēk.

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chic