Where She is From

She speaks of the culture that universally connects her race physically and mentally. 

Shared triumphs and tragedies that have long defined the existence of her race and gender in America.

The communities that are considered dangerous, are the places that she calls home. 

Felicia Madlock writes about being African American and everything that comes along with it. 

     In the poem Where I'm From, Madlock explores her culture in way that takes her audiences from the history of slavery to present day issues that were and are very important to the American population.

" I am from Malcolm X memories and Martin Luther King's dreams. I am from hands that toiled cotton, steel and paper. " 

"I am from family that stretches along the mud paths of Mississippi, Grazing the greenery of Georgia and reciting folktales in Tennessee." 

     In these lines, Madlock speaks of the civil rights movement and of slavery/sharecropping. By describing herself as a product of the civil rights movement and a descendent of slave presents her race and heritage to her readers.This poem presents two important themes to audiences: what it is to be black and to be black in America. This is something that the African American race has had to battle and fight for since they have gained their freedom in 1863.She presents such topics that are directly linked to all African Americans in the United States. The milestones that define who she is and where she came from, can be seen by most middle class blacks in the U.S

 "I am form the facade of Jane Byrne's reign to Harold Washington's historical victory. I am form herores being reduced to humans"

      Madlcok uses this same type of connection between history and of past and present through out the entire poem, with things such as music, literature, politics,relationships, endurance, and religion. These are things that are very important to her and that are still a relevant part of life for every American no matter race or gender. She uses the transition between the years as a stepping stone for each generation. Though she focuses mainly on being an African American, she still writes about being a minority in the U.S. Which is being experienced by millions in this country and even at this campus everyday. The gender and racial adversity that she had to overcome has been experienced by so many people.

 
 Where I'm From is a poem of experience, progression and existence. Felicia Madlock speaks on her life as an minority, African American, female, and writer. In this poem, she explores on each of these topic separately, giving this piece a universal meaning. Ultimately, Madlock writes about simply being human. Her race and culture make her who she is but she is just human, just like everyone else in the world.