Monday, July 27, 2009

Speaking Truth To Power


This statement was mentioned each time before we performed on stage. Maurice set up a college tour at Delaware State University, Rutgers in Camden New Jersey, Temple University, and Philadelphia Community College. This was the time to showcase our talent and give back to our community with our words. Maurice would like to close the show strong so he would have us go in a certain order which seemed perfect.

During this time I had a spiritual awaking to serve my community through service and writing. This gave me the idea to begin a small publication called " Grass Roots Magazine." Since every time we turned on the television all we saw was negative images of black men and women and never saw the positive work that was going on in our community. I even personally called news stations and news periodicals in attempts to get coverage and always received a Luke warm response.

Two of the papers that always gave us ink were The Philadelphia Tribune and The Scoop Newspaper. Junious Stanton of the scoop and Nikki Taylor of the Tribune kept our events and performances on radio and in print. I also need to mention WPEB Radio and Temple Radio who gave us the airwaves during this time.

Grass Roots was a free publication that spotlight positive people within our communities. The activist, entrepreneurs, positive children, Adults, and events.
The first person spotlighted was a entrepreneur by the the name of James who owns "Before and After Barbershop" which I am glad to say is still in business 15 years later. Located a block below Broad and Nedro and across from the AM/PM station.
James has kept this barbershop viable and a continued service to the community.

He also for a short time also opened up a eatery next door to the barbershop compounding his earning potential. This was not only exceptional then, it served as an example of what young black men need to look at in a era of reduced jobs and poverty.

The magazine also featured up and coming writers and street reporters who kept us informed with what was happening positively in the community.

Philadelphia Community College hosted the National Conference Of Black Writers every year. This was a place where we performed and sold our books and listened from the experts on writing. Authors such as Nathan McCall, Sonia Sanchez, Walter Mosley and a rare conversation with Gwendolyn Brooks. This Conference is a Philadelphia gem that needs to stay funded and expanded.

Moonstone Books ran by a book lover by the name of Larry on 13Th street between locust and Walnut street in Philadelphia was were he had 100 poets speak and read from their books. This was a big event every year where each writer would read, network, and sell their books to guess and one another. You would hear the beginners and the polished all day.

To hear a person's truth as they see it gives us a better perspective on how others see the same things we see.

The was shown when I went to Passaic County College for a confernce named "Unsettling America". the confernce was a multi cultural approach toward poetry with workshops and performances by poets from all nationalities.
African American, Hispanic, Jamaican, Japanese, and Itailian writers displayed
their craft and taught at workshops.

The likes of Amiri Baraka and Quincy Troupe were the stand outs that day. They show me diffrent ways of delivering my work through word play and sound.

"We must use our words before we lose them".......Poetica