we spent a day at the Beloved Community Center in Greensboro, NC and besides learning about the sit-ins and visiting the actual Woolsworth site (where construction on a great museum is scheduled to finish by Feb. 1, 2010 for the 50 year anniversary of the four A&T freshmen first sitting-in) we also spoke with the … Continue reading finding the Beloved Community
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Harlem BJ
day 3 of the OUDC summer journey, is our last in New York and brought us to Harlem for an amazing walking tour. our tourguide was Neil Shoemaker of Heritage Tours, and he spoke with the passion of a poet and the conviction of the civil rights leaders he told us about. we got to … Continue reading Harlem BJ
singing the earth
tick tock it won't stop create recreate regenerate like a gecko's tail can't be lost in translation we all go from god to human and back again, speaking with borrowed and liquid tongues bringing back the myth of water the mystery of missing it only once it's gone cannot be found again, like giant squids … Continue reading singing the earth
fabulous weekend
friday: my good friend henry's show was this past weekend. as the emcee/stage manager, i got to control the crowd of friends and family that came out to the dc arts center friday night to see the amazing new show. it was my first time seeing the show, and although i've heard many of the … Continue reading fabulous weekend
bring on the trolls
Underneath the bridge we’ve built between our communities There lives a troll, As stubborn and unstable as our inter-faith, inter-racial, cross-cultural unity, This troll is an ugly, mean troll, watching from below as we build Relationships, forced to recognize reality Like birds recognize gravity We fly diversity flags on pirated flagship state schools built on … Continue reading bring on the trolls
generations leading us
big smiles
friday night after (barely) making it onto the dc slam team. this is me and my doors closing friends. they are some sick poets that influence me here in the dc area. the slam was sold out again for finals, and of course started late. we got it all in though. more on that later, … Continue reading big smiles
helicopteros y zopilotes
this friday, june 12th, at the bethesda, md writing center, and also next friday, june 19th, at the dc arts center, my good friend henry mills will be performing his one man show: helicopters & vultures. it is guaranteed to be an amazing performance. please check it out, if you can. i am emceeing the … Continue reading helicopteros y zopilotes
drum circle at malcolm x park
after karma kitchen yesterday (which was great! why weren't you there???) i walked over to malcolm x park with my friends brandon and sei. they helped me practice some of my poems for the slam, and gave me some much needed advice. thanks y'all! we also participated in the drum circle, which was like a … Continue reading drum circle at malcolm x park
karma kitchen
this sunday, june 7th, i will be cooking up some generosity with the amazing folks at karma kitchen. every sunday from noon to 3pm they open the doors and give the gift of a fresh, hot, healthy meal to anyone who should want to come in and dine. the "bill" at the end of the … Continue reading karma kitchen
brave new voices slam/jamming with the fourth stream
yesterday sol y soul hosted the dc youth slam that determined who would represent the district on the national stage at this year's brave new voices youth slam. i was there to help out and encourage/coach two of my friends. it was a great event, with some amazing surprises. an 11 year old girl named … Continue reading brave new voices slam/jamming with the fourth stream
slamming june 12th in dc
in addition to the spots i frequent weekly for my poetry fix, i will be slamming on friday, june 12th at the 14th & v street, nw busboys and poets. only $5 to get in, and tickets go on sale in the bookstore starting at 10pm. this slam determines who will be on the dc … Continue reading slamming june 12th in dc
hella good times
woke up on an old friend's couch this morning, and made my way back to the city thanks to a crucial ride from my sister. thanks steph! looking forward to the spit dat open mic tonight on u street. i'm bringing that old friend and introducing him to my spit dat family. sorta like a … Continue reading hella good times
city at peace fundraiser, 3.28.09
the hard-working, lovely students of city at peace invited me to headline their fundraising event at busboys and poets on march 28, 2009. i was very humbled and surprised that they even asked me, so i made sure to put on a great show. i've been volunteering at city at peace since october, and it … Continue reading city at peace fundraiser, 3.28.09
forthcoming ish
good day people of the interweb. thanks for checking my site. there will be lots more to come soon. i just set this piece up, so i gots to add lots of content. basically, this site is my way of letting you know what's new and exciting in my world. if you like my poetry, … Continue reading forthcoming ish
mind the gap
so i volunteer with a great group called Level-Ten, and soon we will have our crazy awesome poetry collaboration video up on their new site (www.levelten.tv) so check back for an update on that. basically, three of my talented poet friends got down with me on the metro to speak about the achievement gap in … Continue reading mind the gap
JBT 