It’s unfortunate that violence against Black women has long been a problem, making movements like #SayHerName so important. This reality is what inspired Surrealist Blues Poet Aja Monet to create the audio play, Voices. In partnership with the Vagina Monologues and VDay creator V, formerly Eve Ensler, Voices takes listeners on a sonic journey, via stories from Black women that will heal your soul; making you laugh, cry, and reflect.
The duo began discussing this project back in 2020, when the Black Lives Matter movement reached a new height following the “brutal and horrific murder of George Floyd,” as Monet says. “V asked me if I would be interested in working with V-Day to create a new piece that Black women’s stories would be at the heart of, alongside the fight to end violence against women and girls,” she shares. “I think this piece demonstrates what solidarity can look like when it’s not just rhetoric, and actually implemented in real, strategic ways.”
Monet– who is Grammy-nominated for her poetry album when the poems do what they do– understands that our experiences are diverse and nuanced. That said, she knew she couldn’t take on the responsibility of voicing different stories on her own. Instead, she reached out to women in her community, via social media and listening tours. “I asked myself, ‘what are the communities, countries, neighborhoods, etc. that aren’t being listened to?’” Monet also adds that she doesn’t want listeners to assume that these stories reflect the totality of our journeys, either. Instead, “this is an invitation to listen and learn more about our stories,” and a reckoning with the fact that “there’s so much more to bear witness to. There’s so much more to tell. I hope this project creates new opportunities for more art like this to be made.”
And community work like this requires one’s cup to be diligently refilled. That said, Monet leans on practices like boundary setting. “I think just taking time to verbalize when you need time is important. That sounds like such a no-brainer. But it’s not always easy,’” she says. “While we’re trying to fight these global violence issues, it’s important to remember that a form of violence that Black women face is the fact that many of us are constantly in a state of fight or flight. We’re often in spaces where we’re being forced to find solutions for what we are grappling with,” Monet continues. “I’ve learned to say, ‘Hey, I don’t know. I don’t have all the answers right now… but this is where I’m at and this is the time I need to help figure it out.”
Beyond this, creating projects like these is a balm for Monet, too. “With this, I get to listen and uplift,” she says. “And I think living through another’s vulnerability and expression is so healing.”
Voices is now available on all streaming services.
