Black Girl in Paris Quotes

“The world ain't ready for true black genius. In every nigger is a cup of African blood from kings and queens of divine nature, mathematicians, craftsmen, men and women of the land. I have known some sisters and brothers would scare Einstein back into East European caves with the magnificence of their minds. We are a people with a practical nature and great vision. We have built nations, discovered treasures for everyday use. Our people are a great race of people, and though the Europeans raped and plundered, we have kept inner riches. You got a cup of African blood and that mean something, means you got a responsibility to be proud of it and use your talents or suffer self-destruction.”
― Shay Youngblood, Black Girl in Paris

“Art is just as important as food, 'cause if your soul ain't nourished, you one empty mutherfucker.”
― Shay Youngblood, Black Girl in Paris

“Before I left home I cut my hair close to my scalp so I could be a free woman with free thoughts, open to all possibilities. I was making a map of the world. In ancient times maps were made to help people find food, water, and the way back home. I needed a map to help me find love and language and since one didn't exist, I'd have to invent one, following the trails and signs left by other travelers. I didn't know what I wanted to be, but I knew I wanted to be the kind of woman who was bold, took chances, and had adventures. I wanted to travel around the world. It was my little-girl dream.”
― Shay Youngblood, Black Girl in Paris

“I was a woman and did not yet think of myself as a writer. I was a mapmaker.”
― Shay Youngblood, Black Girl in Paris

“I discover that nothing is ever certain. A name, a birthday, an entire life can be invented, and that being so, can be changed.”
― Shay Youngblood, Black Girl in Paris

“wanted that kind of life even though I was a woman and did not yet think of myself as a writer. I was a mapmaker.”
― Shay Youngblood, Black Girl in Paris