The Women of Brewster Place (1989)

Robin Givens: Kiswana, Melanie Browne

Quotes 

• Mrs. Browne : You could afford much more if you hadn't dropped out of college.

  Kiswana : I knew it, I knew you'd get around to that. You'll just never understand, will you?

  Mrs. Browne : Understand what, baby?

  Kiswana : That my place is here with my people.

  Mrs. Browne : Melanie, what help could you possibly be to these people while you're living hand-to-mouth on a file clerk's check?

  Kiswana : At least I'm here with day-to-day contact with my people, instead of being like you and Daddy and sitting over at Linden Hills with a terminal case of middle-class amnesia.

  Mrs. Browne : You don't have to live in the slums to care, Melanie. You don't have to try to be something you're not.

  Kiswana : God, I can't stand this!

  [she gets up to stand in front of Mrs. Browne] 

  Kiswana : Trying to be something I'm not? Trying to be proud of my African heritage? If that's trying to be something I'm not, then that's fine. I'd rather be dead than be like you, a stuck up nigger who's ashamed of being black.

  Mrs. Browne : My grandmother was a full-blooded Iroquois. My grandfather was a black from a long line of journeymen who lived in Connecticut since the establishment of the colonies. My father was a Bajan who came to this country a cabin boy on a merchant mariner.

  Kiswana : [quietly]  I know all that, Mama.

  Mrs. Browne : [grabbing her fiercely by her shoulders]  Then, know this. I am alive because of the blood of people who never scraped or begged or apologized for what they were. They asked only of one thing of this world: to be allowed to be. And I learned through the blood of these people that black isn't beautiful. It isn't ugly. It isn't kinky hair, It isn't straight hair; Black is just Black. It broke my heart when you changed your name. I gave you my grandmother's name, a woman who bore nine children and educated them all, who held off six white men with a shotgun when they tried to drag one of her sons to jail for "not knowing his place". And you needed to reach into an African dictionary to find a name that would make you proud. When I brought my babies home from the hospital, I swore to whatever gods that would listen, that I would use everything I had or could get so that that my children would be prepared to meet this world on its own terms, so that on one could make them ashamed of what they were or how they looked, whatever they were or however they looked. And Melanie, that's not white or red or black or purple. That's being a mother.

• Mattie Michael : Ain't that the story. Colored folks try to do a little something, somebody come along and throw up a wall.

  Kiswana : Well, why don't you do something about it?

  Mattie Michael : What I'm supposed to do? I could tear down this wall with my bare hands; they'd just send somebody in the next day to put it up again.

  Kiswana : But at least you would have done something!

  Mattie Michael : Ain't no use. You're young. You'll see what I mean.

  Kiswana : No, I won't. That's the difference between you and me.

• Kiswana : [while examining one of Cora Lee's children, who has just injured himself]  There's a big knot coming up on the side of his head; maybe we should take him...

  Cora Lee : It'll go down.

  [after seeing the expression on Kiswana's face] 

  Cora Lee : Look, if I ran to the hospital every time one of these kids bumps their heads or scrapes their knee, I'd spend the rest of my life in those emergency rooms.

• Kiswana : [after an argumentative person just left]  Can we settle down? We still need someone to take the minutes.

  Tenant #2 : The way this is going, they'd better take the hours.

  Lorraine : Excuse me, I'll take the minutes

  [At this, Miss Sophie is fuming] 

  Kiswana : [giving Lorraine the notepad]  Thank you. Okay, we can finally get down to business. Now, Abshu's going to tell us about some money making ideas and then we'll take a vote.

  Miss Sophie : Ain't we supposed to vote over who we wants for secretary? I mean, can anybody just stroll in here and get shoved down our throats and we don;t have nothing to say about it?

  Lorraine : Look, I can just go. I was only trying to help.

  Kiswana : No, wait.

  [to Miss Sophie] 

  Kiswana : What vote? No one wanted the job. Did you want to take notes?

  Etta Mae : Lord, she can't do that unless we all recite the ABC's. And we better not do that too fast!

  [people start laughing] 

  Miss Sophie : [getting up and facing them]  Now listen here. Why should a decent woman get insulted while y'all all take sides with the like of them?

  Etta Mae : I'm as decent as you are, you old bat! And i'll come obver there and land you in the mouth

  [She gets up and starts to struggle while the people hold her down] 

  Miss Sophie : [holding up a statue in defense]  That's right! Pick on me, pick on me! Like I'm the one going around doing all these filthy unnatural things right in front on you. Every one of you seen it. Every one of you been up there and talked about it, not just me!

  [to Lorraine] 

  Miss Sophie : See what you done. Moving here with your nasty ways. Well, you ain't welcome here, you hear me? You ain't WELCOME HERE!

  Lorraine : What has anyone of you seen me do except leave my house and go to work just like the rest of you?

  Miss Sophie : Ha Hah hah!

  Lorraine : Is it so disgusting for me to speak to all of you on the street even though no one ever speaks back to me? Is that my crime?

  Miss Sophie : Oooh, don't you sit there like Little Miss Innocent! I'll tell you exactly what I seen. I wasn't going to mention such filthy things but you done forced me.

  [cackling evilly] 

  Miss Sophie : You forgot to close your shades last night! And I saw you, I saw the both of you! There you was, standing in the bathroom door dripping wet and naked as you please, call onto the other to put down her book and come over and give you a cool towel. She's standing in that bathroom door with your naked behind, I saw ya, I saw ya, I saw ya, I saw ya!

  Ben : I guess you step out of the tub with your clothes on makes it easy on Jesse's eyes!

  [everyone busts out laughing] 

  Kiswana : Okay, stop it! All right, be quiet

  [Lorraine leaves in tears] 

  Kiswana : Everybody SHUT UP! There is nothing funny going on here!

  [She takes the statue from Miss Sophie] 

  Kiswana : Why did you do that? This association is for everyone who lives here, you judgmental, self-righteous old wench! Who do you think you are?

  [as Kiswana is speaking, Ben takes off after Lorraine] 

  Kiswana : If you can't do anything but be disruptive and humiliate people, then you can just get the hell out of my apartment!

  Miss Sophie : Fine. That's just fine with me, sister.

  [she goes to the door] 

  Miss Sophie : This ain;t nothing but a whole bunch of ol' silly mess anyway. JESSE!

  [she leaves] 

  Tenant #2 : [to a man in a hat]  Go on, Jesse.

  [as the man leaves, everyone starts giggling] 

  Kiswana : I don't want to hear another word out of anyone that isn't strictly related to business. Do I make myself clear?