This Black History Month, I’m sharing art, songs, movies, and other creative expressions from and about Black women that spark joy for me. Because Black women are often not remembered for their contributions, I thought this would be one way to give flowers to those who inspire me.
For Day 7, I’m spotlighting the magnificent Zora Neale Hurston for my favorite shady breakup letter of ALL TIME.
Zora Neale Hurston was one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. She was part of the Harlem Renaissance, which was a Black cultural and intellectual movement in the 1920s and 30s. She authored seven books, including Their Eyes Were Watching God, which was one of the first novels I read written by a Black woman when I was a teenager.
Zora was a multipotentialite. She was more than an author; she was also a folklorist, a documentary filmmaker, and an accomplished anthropologist.
She interviewed and documented the experiences of one of the last known survivors of The Middle Passage, Oluale Kossola, in the book Barracoon.
Zora taught us that “all skin folk ain’t kin folk.” Just because someone looks like you doesn’t mean they are FOR you.
But my FAVORITE prose by Zora Neale Hurston has to be this shady breakup letter she pinned in 1942 to the low-down, no-good Mr. Price in what might be the most eloquent cuss-out letter I’ve ever read. Zora Neale Hurston was known for using her sharp tongue for corrections when needed, which is fully displayed in this letter.
“It is my earnest prayer that I never see you again, unless you are dead. If you will only be decent enough to die, I will buy me a red dress, send myself some flowers of congratulation, and come to your funeral.”
Thank you, Zora Neale Hurston, for all your contributions to the culture and for reminding us we don’t need to be kind to people who do not deserve our energy.
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