Your Revolution Will Not Happen Between These Thighs

[CrimsonTide4]

**I received this in an e-mail and found this interesting. What do you think of the censoring and the poem?***

As some of you may know, the incredible performance poet Sarah Jones (and I do mean incredible) is essentially being censored by the FCC for this poem she wrote and has performed across the country. Check out the poem, her web site which details her battle with the FCC, and let me know what you think.

-MM

http://www.yourrevolutionisbanned.com/

Radio Station: KBOO-FM, Portland, Oregon

Material Broadcast: "Your Revolution"

(Various female voices)


your revolution
dedicated to all the women and men struggling to keep their self-respect in this climate of misogyny,money-worship, and mass production of hip-hop's illegitimate child, "hip-pop", and especially to Gil Scott-Heron, friend, living legend and proto-rapper, who wrote The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, and continues to inspire me.


your revolution will not happen between these thighs
your revolution will not happen between these thighs

the real revolution
ain't about booty size
the Versaces you buys
or the Lexus you drives

and though we've lost Biggie Smalls
your Notorious revolution
will never allow you to lace no
lyrical douche in my bush

your revolution will not be you
killing me softly with Fugees
your revolution ain't gon' knock me up
without no ring and produce little future MCs
because that revolution will not happen between these thighs

your revolution
will not find me in the
backseat of a Jeep with LL
hard as hell
ya know, doin' it & doin' it & doin' it well
ya know, doin' it & doin' it & doin' it well

your revolution will not be you
smackin' it up, flippin' it, or rubbin' it down
nor will it take you downtown or humpin' around
because that revolution will not happen between these thighs

your revolution will not have me singin'
ain't no nigger like the one I got
your revolution will not be you
sending me for no drip drip VD shot

your revolution will not involve me feeling your nature rise
or helping you fantasize
because that revolution will not happen between these thighs
and no, my Jamaican brother, your revolution
will not make you feel boombastic and really fantastic
have you groping in the dark for that rubber wrapped in plastic

you will not be touching your lips to my triple dip of
french vanilla butter pecan chocolate deluxe
or having Akinyele's dream
a six-foot blowjob machine

you wanna subjugate your queen;
think I'ma put it in my mouth
just 'cause you made a few bucks
please brotha please!

your revolution will not be me tossing my weave
making believe I'm some caviar-eating, ghetto mafia clown
or me givin' up my behind just so I can get signed
or maybe have somebody else write my rhymes?
I'm Sarah Jones, not Foxy Brown

your revolution makes me wonder, where could we go
if we could drop the empty pursuit of props and the ego
we'd revolt back to our Roots, use a little Common Sense, on a Quest to make love De La Soul, no pretense...but

your revolution will not be you flexing your little sex and status
to express what you feel;
your revolution will not happen between these thighs
will not happen between these thighs
will not be you shaking and me faking between these thighs
because the revolution, that's right, I say the real revolution, you know the real revolution, when it finally comes, it's gon' be real.


**CT4 again -- I AM FEELING THIS POEM!! Very very very very much needed. Sistagurl was fierce on this poem.**

[Reds6]

I Love that. I had to send that out to a few. I saw her speaking the other night on Larry King.

[Innocence22]

Damn! Sarah Jones is deep. Although a lot of what she said made sense I really don't see what was so bad that required censorhip of her work. Sure, it's not written in the most politically correct manner but it's R.E.A.L. But according to the FCC some language was inappropriate. They have their standards. And it's a shame that the radio station was held responsible for something that another thought was "inappropriate."

[militarymom]

She is fierce! What's so interesting is that other things are on the radio that are "worse" than this. I don't see anything wrong with it compared to what I hear nowadays.

[CrimsonTide4]

I don't see why it is being censored because she only took what other MALE ARTISTS have said and used them to drive home her point that the revolution in BLACK AMERICA cannot happen in the bedroom or in other freaky situation locations.

[Sugar_N_Spice]

Originally posted by militarymom
She is fierce! What's so interesting is that other things are on the radio that are "worse" than this. I don't see anything wrong with it compared to what I hear nowadays.

Sarah Jones is REAL!!!! I'm LOVINNNNGGGG that poem. Sister Gurl speaks THA Truth!!! She is representing those of us who refuse to disrespect ourselves and our bodies, who refuse to put up with the madness and the drama, who refuse to be somebody's "Booty Call" or subject ourselves to abuse simply so we can "succeed"... That's why I believe the FCC in censoring her (at least that's part of the reason, anyway)...And I agree--I'd rather hear semi-harsh language in a poem that uplifts the Black Woman--shoot, all women--rather than a song on the radio talking about T&A...

Sarah Jones definately gets props from me.

[militarymom]

Wasn't she on TV a while ago. The Poets show(SHO or HBO I think) that has hosted by Mos Def? I knew I heard this poem before.

[AKA2D '91]

yep, Def Poetry on HBO.

[stillwater15]

girlfriend laid down the law w/that piece of poetry. it's another sad day, when the fcc thinks that should be censored, as opposed to some of the other heinous works of "art" out here. this is no worse than what many others and i hear on the radio.

[thesweetestone]

oh, alot of that is true. i'm really feelin that poem. i haven't heard anybody stand up and tell it like a real women in a while.

[OneOneTwo]

I think there is an obvious reason why I removed the poem... I just found out the news...


R. I. P.

Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes


112

[Discogoddess]

This poem, whose existence I wasn't aware of until yesterday, got me thinking: if we black women are so down with what Sarah Jones is saying (as indicated by the previous responses to this thread), then why do so many of us bombard the dance floor, shake our behinds, sing every word at the top of lungs and EVEN get our sorority stroll as soon as we hear note one of the songs mentioned in Ms. Jones' poem?

As an undergrad, I never could understand why there would be more women than men on the dance floor when (and I'm dating myself here) "*itch Betta Have My Money," "She #wallowed @t," and "I Get Around" would come on. My sorors and I, visiting other schools or in Chicago for some big greek event, would have our mouths drop to the floor when we saw other sorority women, including our own sorors, stroll to these songs, as if Ethel Hedgeman Lyle, Anna Easter Brown, Lucy Diggs Slowe & Co. would be smiling down on some mess like that...WTH????

Now, even though we did feel some of the strolls, we always made it a point to A.)never step off of (and for me, try not to dance to) raunchy songs, especially those that dehumanized women; and B.) tone way, way down any strolls we learned from other sorors that had too much booty-shake going on. Don't get me wrong, I am NOT a prude and WAS MOST CERTAINLY NOT as a college student , but sisters, we need to realize that part of what we project gets mirrored back to us. Meaning, if we don't respect ourselves, our bodies, our organizations, then why should men?

To paraphrase Ice T, brothers would give up the gansta hustle if they thought the women were no longer going for it. It's up to us as women to not accept degrading behavior, from men or from ourselves. It's all good to big up Ms. Jones, but what are we doing about what she's saying??????????

[CrimsonTide4]

I was just given the link to her website by DigitalAngel and you can hear her poem from the website.


The FCC Ban has been lifted as well.

http://www.yourrevolutionisbanned.com/index99.html

[DigitalAngel126]

Mmmhmmm, and her website is http://www.sarahjonesonline.com ...It's pretty cool, has a lot of press releases and some tour dates.

[Sahara]

That poem is a NECESSITY for many to read/hear!! I can't imagine why it is censored.