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For Her Name’s Sake by Monica Leak

Source: GBF
Paperback, 116 pgs.
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For Her Name’s Sake by Monica Leak is a cry for not just equal justice but JUSTICE for women of color. Leak embodies these women’s stories to share them with her readers and explore the injustices faced by these women who were abandoned by the systems meant to protect society as a whole. Some of these women were taken too soon, but Leak invokes their spirit to help us see — without turning away — and encourage us to rise up for those who can no longer do so for themselves.

In “Handle With Care,” Leak tells speaks to the outward pressures society places on financially-strapped families and those in need of care, not arrest in her poem for Tanisha Anderson. This mother “Amid an escort struggle, the body becomes limp/The cops applied excessive use of force/To restrain another life lost in death” (pg. 10-11) A mother having a mental health crisis in need of assistance, she’s assisted right into the grave.

From "Who'll Be a Witness?" (pg. 49)

Who'll be a witness?
A witness who can say what they saw
A witness who can tell what they heard
A witness who can describe the scene and circumstances

Leak is that witness. Each poem focuses on a life shortened or a life altered by institutional injustice, from people killed for having fake weapons to welfare checks gone wrong. Leaks poems are filled with anger, tension, and will leave readers uneasy as they should. These are lives she wants us to remember, the circumstances they found themselves in that were beyond their control, and how justice was not served by those charged with serving it.

"No Charges" (pg. 77)

It's like daily walking on pins and needles, living on 
guard
To constantly violate the rights of people of color and
there never is a charge

#Rosann Miller

For Her Name’s Sake by Monica Leak is a poignant collection in a time when it is sorely needed, even as we wish it were unnecessary. These are women who lost their lives and their ways of life — many had families, lost loved ones, and so much promise.

RATING: Tercet

About the Poet:

Monica Leak uses the power of information to reach others through creative content. Monica’s works include contributions to six Lent devotionals, one women’s empowerment anthology and two self-published collections of social justice-themed poetry. You can learn more about Monica by following MLeakPoetry on all social media platforms (Facebook/Instagram/Twitter) and visiting monicaspeaks.org.