Words of black activist, writer
aimed at helping the oppressed
By Shannon Kelley
Of lh# Kmttmld
Racism. sexism and other
forms of oppression an* the
focal points of June Iordan's
words. They are words she
chooses carefully and directly;
words she uses in the context of
not just her experience of op
pression, hut also of her life in
relation to others ~ the other
lives she cares about. ' »
. ' '“Nobody questions my
•. credentials as a radical black ac
tivist with experiences she had
in South Africa. She .writes
about the African National Con*
. gross (A.N(;j. the opposition'
group in South Africa, and the
• Sandinistas in Nicaragua two.
of the. most self-determined
. political groups iii the world,
'; she said. /J; •
".The problem, it seeing, is of
a perception, in effect, that
: he| ps -proven t us from
; 'understanding the meaning of
the things that we have in coin-:
• \ Vnqn and 'therefore treat these
, [ things;in a way that Would be
V vatidly„ahd durably useful in
huildjng. for example, coalic
. tiiihs on various issues
' ''Ar.certain degree of a full
stomach a net comfortable sur
roundings,must exist for one to
have even the luxury to think of
somiMine else " she said Iordan
.points to the South Africans
• who were put in the Bantu starts.
'. They : grew up under apar
theid.,and they have Imen vic
timized as much as anyoneJn
theWntury, and then thev turn
around and do to their own peo
ple what was done jo them.''
No one has a corner on virtue.
Iordan said.
"Oppression does not pro
vide for heroes or heroines
morally;" Iordan said "No
matter how oppressed I am as a
blac k person or as a black
female or a female human be
ing, it doesn't mean that I'm
good." ..she said. "It doesn't
mean that the imposition of
U renin on me has turned me
into a superior human tieing
a! all All it means is that I've
been tyrannized."
The issues concern all of us.
and we raced to work together to
accomplish self-determination
at every level of our existenc e,
she said,
Iordan started writing poetry
when she was seven years Old.
She turned to writing as a result
of her father's force-heeding her
literature she didn't unders
tand; such as the Bible and
works by Shakespeare.
"I didn't know what they
meant f could only absorb the
sound of things," she said.
"Apparently these words had
enormous power because, year
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after year, the same words
would be repeated and people
still would allow their lives to
he changed by that. 1 thought
then* must he something pretty
deep going on and got very
’interested.*’ . • • y
jordan's poetry ts intense and
direct. Though her inspirations
to write come through different
forms.,"they all cptnb from real,
verifiable life," she said. "None
of it is made up hec.ause that's
part of my task as an artist — to
deal;in a creative way .with the
real things that Other people
: tm>s ides nil»c:a re*a.boUt.- ;■~ v■ V
Jordan said the importance of
her work is to toll the truth. The
emergence of her political and
personal solves has created a
•’struggle.'!
"I find writing so difficult
and uncomfortable, sitting there
for that long. And if I didn’t
think there was an important
reason for being there. I’ni sure I
would quit and do what. 1 really
want to dpi which is ride my
11n vole. ." . ‘ ‘. • ’ •
She; said writing helps her to
realize other people do not have
as an aceesible creative release
.‘ as she (hies: Iordan said she has
I’ workaholic habits;" and when
she final|y!allows for. a rest. she
is horrified/ thatrshe is -not .ac-.
corrvpl ifih i hg anything , r .
“Itut no matter how horrified
I am-.’I reaiizii thai a lot°of peo
. pie. 'eyelf, if ..they sat there at
/1heir deikd. woiiUi not be able to
/get it out.. I always have a way’to •
escape; tmj release." she said.
Jordan believes that everyone
has; an; inherent-capacity for
worldwide power. Hvervdne
- Has. known the intimate expres
sion ofpowerlessness as a";
.,phild’.-aridrthe key to acquiring
power is to no longer regard
ourselves as victims, she said. a
"The question of how much
power we have is not a matter of -
tihatiCM.V up .aided. "It is a
matter of discovery. We need to
, discover the means to tap out
thal power and to make that
power manifest,"
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