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BETWEEN THE WORD AND ME

ORIGINAL POEMS AND PERFORMANCES

Presented by the 2021 Spoken Word Cohort

Words were our glue - we were bonded through a series of reflections, testimonies, and explorations. Simultaneously cultivating joy while creating a space where we could grieve. Grieving the seemingly perennial state of loss magnified by our melanin. The laughter led us to see that even in our virtual cypher - we had common pet peeves, food faves, and shows. We wrote of our evolutions birthed from embarrassing moments, self-realization, trauma, and familial struggles. We reflected on what it means to live in a black body in 2021 after taking a deep dive into Richard Wright’s poem, “Between the World and Me”. This project is a beautiful collection of voices and experiences of young people who are sharing their words for us to marvel and affirm.

For their live summit presentation, the Spoken Word cohort took their poems from the page to the stage with powerful performances of their written pieces from the year. You can watch the Spoken Word cohort's full virtual summit presentation below:

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'TIL WE FREE PROJECTS

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MEDIA

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ACTING

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PLAYWRITING

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POETRY

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VISUAL ARTS

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