INTRODUCTION

 

 

Your silence will not protect you. –Audre Lorde

 

2022 has been a “twilight zone” sort of year, with a promise of a new world opening up from Covid, a new administration, the seduction of new possibilities. Juxtaposed against this, however, has been the shutting down, the closing doors, on what are our very sacred rights: freedom of expression; a woman’s right to access; educational freedom to teach the larger picture and history of America. The 50th anniversary of the CCNY Poetry Festival on May 6th absolutely symbolized—in a myriad of ways—that poetry, language, and people will always rise above the challenges and demolish the status quo. Freedom of voice and expression is intrinsic to our very soul and can never be taken away. Victor Frankl, a World War II survivor states: “Everything can be taken from a man… the last of human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

 

Our featured guest poet, Reginald Dwayne Betts, as well as the 55th governor of New York State, David A. Paterson, epitomized the message of the day: “You might box or imprison a person, but you can never imprison a mind.” Vasyl Mahkno, our special guest poet, reiterated this same message. Betts has a deep understanding of post incarceration life and the world of prison where “no one tells you the time/will steal your memories—until there’s nothing left but strip searches and the hole.” And even though “You come home & become a parade /of confessions that leave you drowning/lost recounting the disappeared years” (Essay on Reentry), he still never allowed entrapment of his mind or his words. 

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David A. Paterson, who introduced Reginald Dwayne Betts, identified with the imprisonment of being a legally blind Black man, sharing how this never kept him down. He used his voice and passion in order to shatter society’s stereotypes; he fought for freedom of expression, the right to his political voice. 

 

This freedom is a catalyst for poets as young as ten. Fifth-grader Maileigh Bright from I.S. 180 shares in the poem “Freedom Flies”:

 

Freedom flies, with all the lies

Freedom flies with all the cries

Freedom flies with all the signs….

We lie, cry and sigh

And freedom is always on our side.

 

Using our voice in such a resounding fashion frees us from the box people may place us in. Our featured guest poet refused the box of the formerly incarcerated, which propelled him to seek a law degree and fight for justice through his poetry and a human rights organization he has started. Tori Mims of MS 88 lets us know We Belong: “We shall walk with pride and stride/instead of fearing we might die/our clothes should have accidental clothes/not those you got shot like cattle type of holes. …..We need to show our pride/and you know why/so help with your cries for justice/and voice your respect for life/because we are Black/we are dark/we are African/we are loved/ We belong!”

 

Again, the powerful message from celebrated poet Audre Lorde: “If I was going to die, sooner or later, whether or not I had even spoken myself, my silence had not protected me. Your silences will not protect you. What are the words you do not have? What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day and attempt to make your own, until you will sicken and die of them, still in silence? You have been socialized to respect fear more than our own need for language.”

 

But poets do not respect fear; rather, the opposite. Poets reject the tyranny of the status quo and demand to be heard. Omar Kanoute from James Baldwin High School tells us, “I need to make my impact known/to leave a footprint on this world/to know I won’t be lost/forgotten/lost to time/ I want my name and my voice to be heard.”

 

Janet Li from High School of Fashion Industries shares this sentiment and refuses to be silenced, despite the repercussions. In “Words” she tells us, “My mother pulls me aside and deems my comeback “disrespect,”/But the only disrespect to me is keeping their criticisms unchecked./They all want me to be normal, to “obey,” “agree,” and “act” as they taught,/”Normal” meaning ideal; “ideal” meaning what’s not.”

 

Young people refuse the burdens of tyranny and fear in order to use their voices. Nicole Manning from Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics tells us in “To Have Everything but to Have Nothing at All”:

 

I will not be silenced.

My body will not be at the mercy of politicians.

My mind will be freed from the chains of fear.

Held by the conservative, simplistic values of past generations

My heart will survive the wounds caused by constant hate and anger

My soul will find peace

Amongst the chaos of change and the unknown.

 

Bravo to the power of a fearless voice, to the young people who refuse imprisonment of their ideas. Indeed, so much is problematic in the world, but writing helps us to alter our perspective, challenging the injustices. Our voice is our greatest tool as an outcry, and in this way it paves the way for a world of possibilities. As Harvey Milk, noted activist and mayor of San Francisco shared at a time of great political risk, “Hope will never be silent.”

 

So we continue to write, and indeed it is our hope and our motivation. As Malcolm X said, “A man who believes in freedom will do anything under the sun to acquire and preserve this freedom.” And we have many people, friends, administrators, and family to thank for making this all possible: City College’s Division of Humanities and Art, Interim Acting Dean, Renata  K. Miller;  President Dr.Vince Boudreau; Tony Liss, Provost ; Gregory Shanck; Dee Dee Mozeleski, Office of Institutional  Advancement;  Annika Luedke and Diana Ward, The Foundation for City College; David Covington and the Alumni Foundation; Mikhal Dekel, Interim Head of the English Department; The Rifkind Center; Michelle Valladares, MFA Director; Axe-Houghton Foundation; Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; The South Wind Foundation; Bonnie Marcus, Poets & Writers; The City College of New York office of support services, with special thanks to Taki; David and Harianne Wallenstein; Gregory Crosby, Assistant Director, Alyssa Yankwitt, Development Coordinator and Chief Mentor; Amanda Reiser, Administrative Assistant;  and finally, Barry Wallenstein who birthed this whole wonderful organization. 

 

This year, we had a fundraiser (see back of POETRY IN PERFORMANCE 50). The organizations and people who were instrumental in our fundraiser continue to be our hope and inspiration, and we thank them, always, for their generosity.

 

The unbridled voice of poets will help to counteract the tyranny of a system that is trying to curtail freedoms. Poets and writers will never allow that to happen; with their voice, they will throw off the shackles of silence.

 

Please join us next year on May 12th, 2023 as we celebrate the 51st anniversary of Poetry Outreach. 

 

Pam Laskin

June 2022