“Maya Angelou’s, ‘I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. That was the first book by a Black woman I ever read, and I remember loving it. I remember it making me feel spiritually lighter and heavier all at the same time. I could definitely get with the metaphor. I didn’t process my feelings at the time, but looking back, I now know what it did for me: It held out hope while it told truth. Tough, rough, heavy times will be, but so too the overcoming. ‘Caged Bird’ would stay with me over the years and I still think it’s beautiful.” -From, “Chaka: Through The Fire” By: Chaka Khan