For Colored Girls was a very moving book and movie. This movie truly brought tears to my eyes. I realized that I am a 17 year old girl who has experienced many of the same things. Watching this movie and reading the poems had an effect on me mentally, and emotionally.  They have made me more self-aware and appreciative of the good things in my life.

I still think a lot about the movie and poems.  These stories offer guidance to me, and I think I will look at them again whenever I need guidance because these women made it through so much. As I read a few of Ntozake Shange’s poems, I kept asking myself, “why does this remind me of something?” I realized it reminded me of my life. I have had people take advantage of me, use me, and take things from me.  I have craved attention from others, trying to replace my mother and father because they were never in my life.

"For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf” made me more self-aware because when I saw how those women were used and abused, it made me re-evaluate my relationships, and who I call my friends, family, and significant others. Those women were taken advantage of by the people they trusted. I know personally that some people are like con artists, and they will use a person until they can’t get away with it anymore. They will push a person to their breaking point, even after a person has truly given their all. It reminded me to be aware of a person’s real agenda.

At the same time, it made me appreciate life more because those women lost so much, but still gained so much.  Each of those women experienced some kind of loss.  Some of them lost trust, love, loved ones, and even their dignity. But I admire these women, because what they gained was sisterhood.  They each found a way to be strong and find their true voices. They became strong independent women who grew to love their color.

Melanie is in her final year at Anocostia High School in Southwest Washington, D.C. She has been a native Washingtonian her whole life.