Translator: Delia Cohen Reviewer: Denise RQ
Ashly Eli: Pouring down from the sky like a walk in the rain,
laughing like a waterfall crying tears for my pain.
It's all about the choice that decides if you lose or gain.
I never used to care, and I don't care about your disdain.
You come to see me; you find me deep in thought.
Been lost for all my life, but the morals I caught.
You think you know me; I promise you do not.
You don't know how far I've come, how long I've fought.
I'm fighting tooth and nail, the battle waged for my soul.
It's uphill both ways, trudging through ice and snow.
The wind is blowing in my face, but I've got to learn to let go.
When you think you do, you don't ever really know.
(Singing) Living, it ain't easy and life is hard.
All the odds are against you.
Get over your bad self.
Living, it ain't easy and full of lies.
You're cursed if you do and cursed if you don't.
Get over your bad self.
(rapping) They want to take it all, but they don't realize
that I've lost everything due to some real lies.
Outside I'm whispering; inside I scream and cry.
There's nothing left to take not even my pride.
It doesn't matter, though; it's all vanity.
They tell me that I'm sane, but they don't know insanity.
If they'd been through what I'd been through, they'd see it was a part of me.
Some things better left unsaid; I'm happier when I'm lonely.
I thought I knew how to appreciate,
but the epiphany came much too late.
Took my life for granted, indecisions as I hesitate,
and now I'm drowning in a world of hate.
(Singing) Living, it ain't easy, and life is hard.
All the odds are against you.
Get over your bad self.
(Rapping) Now I sit alone, and I have nothing.
But that's OK with me because it's all the same.
There's only one side of the bed, just depends which way you lay,
and has nothing to do with your bad day.
Be good and get the worst.
Life is cruel; that's the way it works.
Y'all could say I told you so, but I said it first.
I told all y'all, yet I feast on dirt.
Don't be surprised when sarcasm's curt.
I ain't ever scared, but I've got a lot of fears.
I'm always happy but I've cried a lot of tears.
I may be young, but I've lived a lot of years.
So much left to do; and my time draws near.
So, when it's all said and done, I've got to be prepared.
Because living ain't easy.
(Applause)
Tonya Williams: Come, sit, and talk with me
about a contagion called mediocrity.
Now, one need not be Socrates to define this word on my mind.
If "medi-" means the middle and "-ocre" is the ground,
then from the sound of it,
mediocrity is all Goldilocks ever wanted, and all she found.
And if the shoe fits just right,
and at night you ponder the groove in which you move,
let these words improve your chance of change;
and behoove you to find and fight for the life of a new you.
To those wary of doing too much or too little,
the middle bowl juts comfortably with lots of company.
And sure, the conversation may be far from sparkling
but at least it's safe.
For the many mired in mediocrity in every sense
can not stand those few who pursue excellence.
And mediocrity's crime isn't its association with so-so.
No, it's real tragedy is it's "just enough" -tivity,
Take the time to try, but not too hard,
and disregard all those sweating to push past you,
hoping no one has to do more than one is asked to.
Mediocrity lends the world whole cups of half-truths,
the saccharine sweetness of an unsatisfied soul.
Walkin' the well-worn path of the middle ground will send you down
into the streets, the church house, the workplace, and the club.
(Singing): Hey.
(Laughter)
(Raping) Finding pleasure in the half measure
of whatever gets stuck to your shoe.
What is it about us?
We who have achieved so much?
By crossing the waters,
although it was the mid-Atlantic by plan, and the middle passage by plotters.
Daughters of the slave and the free,
unbinding corsets, apron strings, feet wrappings, fetters, bras, and laws.
What is it in us sleeping so deeply,
compelling us and telling us to sell ourselves cheaply?
Hmm, mediocrity. Ask me?
It ain't nothin' but a 99-cent word that ain't worth a dime,
especially when I got real problems taking up my time.
Now, if you really want to see the deal with mediocrity,
look no further than the dollar on which we depend.
Or should that be my female friends who gauged my words from my name brand
disdaining my knowledge, my college, or my deeds of note?
And would rather measure my swag from my quality bag, matching shoes, and coat.
A flower whose face fails to follow the Sun,
preferring instead to preen for passers-by
believing they'll find her bloom beautiful instead of just loving it herself.
Mediocrity's feature that's the saddest isn't its fair to middling status.
No, what makes me maddest is its burn to not be the best.
So the question becomes:
if all that we're given comes from that which we give,
why do we offer ourselves such a paltry sum on which to live?
(Applause) (Cheers)
Third lady: Leaving this Earth today, what would be your legacy?
Unable to answer that question myself,
I looked at it through the eyes of my future child.
What would my child say about me?
My mother's legacy.
My mother, a woman of integrity, strength, and virtue.
Never a woman who would judge you.
Instead, extends a helping hand to encourage, love, and nurture you.
My mother, a leader not a follower.
Breaking the cycle of sexual abuse with her truth
and being an advocate for the voiceless and their youth.
My mother, a woman of sobriety and endurance,
overcoming trial and tribulation,
no longer addicted to alcohol, drugs, or sex
nor the dangerous life of street affiliations.
Street smart, book smart,
an intelligent and intellectual woman;
my mother, the gold mine of knowledge and wisdom.
My mother, a conqueror of imprisonment,
a victorious warrior
in the battle of loneliness, low self-esteem, and depression
during her nine years of physical incarceration.
My mother, a believer of Christ Jesus, our Savior,
always giving him honor and praise,
trusting him always to be her provider
even when the alley is flooded with rain, and her stomach struck with hunger.
My mother, a faithful servant of God,
spiritually feeding the lost souls of all those who hunger for the truth,
sharing her testimony
through powerful yet pure melodies that she is living proof.
My mother: a friend, a survivor, a hero,
and my phenomenal woman legacy.
(Applause)
Fourth woman: Today, I stand before you, a woman with a voice.
Through no rhyme or reason discovered, because I felt I had no choice.
Thinking back on all the years, wondering who will I become.
When the force behind me, the woman inside me
had an unlimited amount of power to which fear could not succumb.
The empowerment of a woman is an essential tool to promote growth.
We are the pillars of our families, yet some of us still possess no self-worth.
We never give ourselves enough credit, and we allow others to put us down.
Yet, we are the epitome of a queen deserving to wear a golden crown.
Hey, woman, do you know who you are?
Do you know the potential you have to change the world?
As the Sun comes up and the day begins,
another life enters the Universe because of a gift given to you not men.
Hey, woman, do you understand your power?
There's an electric vibe that comes from deep inside your soul
that illuminates your outer core.
When this light is shared, everything it encounters
ultimately becomes aware of your presence.
You are an empowering woman
sharing the phenomenon that is called love.
Our empowering loyalty helps us to heal someone else's broken heart.
Our empowering faith helps us to build a nation.
Our empowering love helps us to empower someone else.
So, I ask you again, woman, do you know who you are?
Do you know who you really are?
You are a martyr; you are a queen.
You are a teacher, and everything in between.
You are a gift to mankind.
You are the rarest treasure of all to find.
You are an empowering woman.
That's who you are till the final existence of time.
(Applause)
(Cheers)
(Applause)