Who is Black Girl?

“Use your voice and speak!” – Talitha V. Anyabwele

Through numerous speaking engagements, poetry venues, and countless inspiring conversations, Talitha V. Anyabwele, has been described as nothing short of extraordinary because of her performance and inspiring spirit. Though her talents are innumerable, some of them include spoken word, stage performance, directing, educating, empowering through speaking engagements and workshops, and writing. Her anthology of poetry is her first of many future publications and serves as the platform and current script of her one-woman show, “Black Girl Speaks.”

How It All Began

Talitha is the oldest of three children born to Rev. and Mrs. T.R. & Geri Anyabwele. She is also the oldest female grandchild on both sides of her family as well. This birth order automatically placed a great deal of responsibility on her shoulders at a very young age. She recalls many incidents where she was fed wisdom because those around her felt it was necessary in order for her to be an example for her younger siblings and cousins. She developed a very strong relationship with her parents and grandparents. Idolizing her father and grandfathers, she developed much of her insight about the opposite gender from watching and learning from them and their stories. It was through her observations in the kitchen with her mother, grandmothers, and aunts that she began to learn and apply the power of being a black woman, a gift she shares through “Black Girl Speaks” and B.G.S. Productions.

Her upbringing in the West End area of Atlanta, Georgia adequately equipped her with cultural and spiritual exposure which she uses as a source for much of her writing today. In fact, she attributes the inception of her writing career to her sixth grade English teacher, Mrs. Jones, because she was the first to challenge her to write. She was also the first to accuse young Talitha of plagiarism due to the maturity of her words. Talitha still considers this one of the greatest compliments she’s ever received. She would later use this educational experience to inspire other young writers in the classroom.

Though she auditioned and was accepted into a performing arts high school in the Atlanta area, she completed her diploma in Tampa, Florida at Leto High School. It was here that she began to stretch her wings of leadership and performance through her church’s drama ministry and through her presidency of the multi-cultural club, Jamaa, under the guidance of Mrs. Anita Peters. Each February, she helped write and perform in the organization’s Black History Program. Teachers and students still rave about her solo performance of Maya Angelou’s “Phenomenal Woman.”

Consequently, Tampa is also where she began the scholarship pageant circuit. It was there that she was crowned seven titles, some of which include “Miss Future Bethune-Cookman College”, “Miss Young, Gifted, & Black”, and “Miss Teenage Tampa.” She used the scholarships from these pageants as well as the full academic scholarship she received from Florida A&M University to assist her in her pursuit of her Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration.

The Awakening

During her tenure at Florida A&M University, Talitha became heavily involved in extra-curricular and academic activities. She was also an activist and speaker on pertinent issues concerning the AIDS epidemic, voting rights in Florida, and women’s rights. She earned the titles of “Best Speaker” in the 1998 Oratorical Contest, Ms. McGuinn Hall, Ms. Housing, Ms. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and pursued the title of Ms. Florida A&M University.

Though her degree was in the business sector, Talitha never lost sight of her first love of theater and her yearning for knowledge about her ancestry. She began to take history of theater courses with Dr. Keith Tucker as her electives and garnered a greater appreciation for performing arts. A sudden diagnosis of cancer for her mother led Talitha home for her final semester where she completed her coursework at the University of South Florida. It was here that she developed a stronger love for her African heritage through her involvement with the African Student Association and through her Black Women in America class with Dr. Rodriguez. A seed that had been planted long ago was now being nurtured through formal education.

Immediately following graduation, Talitha obtained a position in financial advisement and sales. After one year and a return to her Alma Mater for another friend’s graduation, Talitha realized that she was not doing what she was created to do. She says, “I saw all the vigor and zeal and excitement in the graduates’ faces, and I realized that I no longer had that. I also realized that I was crying going to work every day because I didn’t like the role I had to play on a daily basis. I abruptly made the decision to not go back. I haven’t looked back since! I did not want to be forced to do what I needed to do anyway.” After her intrepid and unexpected decision, Talitha applied for a position as a manager of an African bookstore owned by two college professors, Drs. Dana & Sharon Dennard. She was unaware of what God had in store instead.

In the interview with Dr. Sharon Ames-Dennard, Talitha was asked to serve as a teacher at the couple’s African centered, independent, private school. Agape, Talitha hesitated only for a moment to consult her Maker before accepting the unforeseen offer. It was through her career as an educator that she began to see the tremendous impact verbal and written expression had on young minds. She became a member of the Back Talk Poetry Troupe under the poetry collective, Black on Black Rhyme, founded by Keith Rodgers, and began to use the tools and skills honed in this organization in the classroom. By the end of the first academic year, her students were performing their own poetry through Black on Black Rhyme in the classroom. Her innovation, tenacity, and strong work ethic led Dr. Sharon Dennard to elevate Talitha as the youngest principal in the country!


Black Girl Begins to Speak After two years in education, Talitha realized the fundamental problem with independent schools is lack of financial resources. She also saw the direct link between freedom of artistic expression and confidence and academic performance. Through her increasing exposure with Black on Black Rhyme, she was able to see the powerful impact her words had on others. As a member of the BackTalk! Poetry Troupe and the Black on Black Rhyme Poetry Collective, Talitha has traveled domestically performing excerpts of her one-woman show in Atlanta, San Diego, Tallahassee, Tampa, Minneapolis, Detroit, and Rochester, New York . Her travels have also granted her the opportunity to perform internationally in Amsterdam and Venlo, The Netherlands, Paris, and Banjul, The Gambia.

Black Girl Speaks was originally produced in its entirety in Tallahassee, Florida at the Aakhet Center in collaboration with Javonte Adams and Off the Cuff Productions. In an interview, Talitha is noted as saying: “People would come up to me after a performance and say ‘I didn’t understand what I was supposed to be doing with my life until you just confirmed it with what you said,’ or ‘I didn’t think I could get out of my relationship until I heard you speak.’ The most powerful two responses I got came when I performed a piece on molestation and people came up to me and said the ages they were when it happened to them or one said ‘I was thinking about killing myself. You just told me I wasn’t alone.’ Those things were confirmations that I had to use my voice and speak.”

Talitha shared the desire to perform through a one-woman show with her then significant other, Javonte Adams. The two of them had traveled throughout several domestic states and international cities performing spoken word together. It was through his encouragement that she faced any fear and doubt she had about going forward with her vision and “Black Girl Speaks”, the one-woman show, was born November 12, 2005 at Amen-Ra’s Bookshop and Gallery in Tallahassee, Florida. It was reproduced as a fundraiser for Sakkara Youth Institute, the school at which she served, on February 25, 2006 and as a double feature on December 2, 2006.

The Movement

“Black Girl Speaks” is more than a show. It’s a MOVEMENT! This motto came to Talitha when exercising with her friend and mentor, Jonathan Sprinkles. He expressed his initial uneasiness about wearing a shirt that read “Black Girl Speaks.” She responded with the statement and it has served as a guiding force and motivating factor ever since. She realized that this movement crossed gender lines, race & cultural lines, and economic classes. It impacted everyone because it sent a message of universal healing. This realization prompted her to found B.G.S. Productions for the purpose of producing the show, and related workshops, seminars, and speaking engagements that would empower others. It also prompted her to pen her first anthology of poetry of the same title, “Black Girl Speaks.”

Talitha uses the pseudonyms “Jess Carpenter” and “Black Girl” when she writes and performs respectively. As Jess Carpenter she recognizes and is humbled by the presence of Jesus Christ the Carpenter in her life. When uplifting through spoken word, she serves as the vessel for multitudes of voiceless black girls and women, as she transports their stories to the world.

“Black Girl Speaks” was originally written as individual pieces and later threaded to create one performance. The show itself is constantly evolving as the author does. Each piece is one that it is held close to her heart, because it was either her own experience, the experience of someone dear to her, or the experience of someone that has spoken through her.

The purpose of the show and her speaking engagements are to be a vehicle for artistic expression and the projection of untold stories. It is to allow the “black girl” that has touched all of us to voice her triumphs, sorrows, thoughts, and history and to incite healing through dialogue. “Black Girl Speaks would not exist if it were not for the many women who came before me that were unafraid of speaking out in various forms,” says Talitha. “Through this venue, I honor these women.”

Talitha recognizes that “Black Girl Speaks,” could not have been made possible had it not been for the support and appreciation of art by many. The debut performance in Tallahassee served as the foundation for a series of future productions. Your support in the purchase of her products and services, not only allows this path to continue, but it also creates a path for others to tread. Among being the CEO of B.G.S. Productions, Talitha has also founded a non-profit organization, AfricaNetwork, that funds the building and structure of educational programs and schools across the country. A portion of the proceeds generated through B.G.S. Productions are contributed to AfricaNetwork. She is extremely grateful to you for sharing in this passage and experience, and for strengthening the voice of the next generation of “black girls.”

Comments

“You are great, blessed and anointed. Thank you for your energy, power, inspiration and many, many gifts.”
– Lashawnda Batts, Actress

“When Black Girl speaks... it is heard by the ears of people who suffered for years and throughout your existence. You don’t just hear it in that moment, it’s echoed throughout your life!”
– Keith Rodgers, Founder & CEO of Black on Black Rhyme Poetry Collective

“ Wow, I need to see the show again!!” – Dr. Myla English, Pharmacist

“ ‘Black Girl Speaks’ speaks to the soul by providing insight on life’s challenges; a flawless performance.”
– Dr. Sharon Ames-Dennard, psychologist and author of Something Inside So Strong

“ Unbelievably witty, funny, and revealing.”
– Rev. T.R. Anyabwele, Pastor of House of Prayer M.B. Church

“I love your show!!!!!!!!” – Erin Washington, Actress