Black women as compost: An autoethnographic cantata

Abstract

This performative autoethnography is a restorying of my Black girlhood/Black womanhood journey. The format incorporates Black aesthetics through poetic and musical representations, while inviting the reader to make meaning for themselves. This autoethnographic cantata is a call to Black women everywhere to sing their own melodies and to compose their own songs from girlhood to womanhood. The lack of intext citations is also a purposeful call for readers to connect this work within their own disciplinary contexts and knowledge bases. It is written to be spoken or sung aloud, alone or in groups.