Jodesha Jordan at The Young Black Intellectuals Forum

October 2, 2011 – Young Black Intellectuals Forum

Jodesha Jordan, a Foundation Academy Senior, just completed an eight week program at the Ritz Theatre called The Young Black Intellectuals Forum. She was honored to have designed the awards invitation, and is pictured with  her sketch rendering of Harriet Tubman.  During the awards dinner she recited the poem below by Langston Hughes.  Thank you to all the Foundation faculty and students who sponsored her participation in the program.

Note on Commercial Theatre by Langston Hughes

You’ve taken my blues and gone—

You sing ‘em on Broadway

And you sing ‘em in Hollywood Bowl,

And you mixed ‘em up with symphonies

And you fixed ‘em

So they don’t sound like me.

Yep, you done taken my blues and gone.

You also took my spirituals and gone.

You put me in MACBETH and CARMEN JONES

And all kinds of SWING MIKADOS

And in everything but what’s about me—

But someday somebody’ll

Stand up and talk about me,

And write about me—

Black and beautiful—

And sing about me,

And put on plays about me!

I reckon it’ll be

Me myself!