Community News
There is something powerful that happens when brothers speak!
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
“Speak brother, Speak!”
When hearing these words, what comes to mind for you? What feelings do these words evoke?
I want to be very clear; I am speaking to African-Canadian (Black, depending on how you see yourself) here. I don’t care where you hail from; there is a common bond that tragically links all Black men together. It is a perception of you that has been conditioned in the minds of our society, and it flies under the radar. Black men are perceived as the enemy; any sign of emotion, can instantly be interpreted as angry.
Thankfully, there are men who are willing to open up about how they feel. Some tell me how they maintain low expectations of people to protect themselves from being hurt. They avoid dialogue with loved ones like the plague. Some admit that they have never been good at dealing with emotion.
Tell me, how many times have you been hit with;
“Calm down!” or “Relax!”
or
“Calm down,” BRO!” or “BRO, Relax!”
This comes after of course someone has said something that did trigger you. For some, they avoid expressing anything, so when it comes out, it pours out like an unblocked sewage pipe.
What I do want my brothers to know is that there is nothing un-masculine about learning to embrace your complexities, share your feelings, and love yourself as you see fit. You, Black man, need the freedom to truly live.
“This is not your grandparent’s poetry. Think Hip Hop without the music, with clever wordplay, passion, and energy.” Dwayne Morgan
When I heard that Dwayne Morgan was having his 22nd annual “When Brothers Speak” Spoken Word Concert, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. Not just because I adore Black men, but also because I was interested in seeing how Dwayne was going to top himself this year.
Dwayne Morgan is a two-time National Poetry Slam Champion, who dominates the written word as an author and exercises his creative skills as a producer. His resume tells the tale. He is a Scarborough Walk of Fame inductee, a recipient of the
African-Canadian Achievement Award and the Harry Jerome Award. He has performed for Barack Obama, former Governor General of Canada, Michaelle Jean, and shared the stage with many artists including Russell Peters, Alicia Keys, and Drake.
What he has done with “When Brothers Speak” has changed the game when it comes to providing a platform for Black men to be their authentic selves. A place where they can bare their soul and share their artistry without judgment. On Saturday, November 27th, at 8 PM. Dwayne lined us up with some featured performances by Ontario’s first Poet Laureate, Randell Adjei, Toronto’s Patrick Waters, Hamilton’s Eddie Lartey and special guest, Obbie West from Las Vegas.
Powerful! Eye-Opening! Unmistakable! Deliberate! Authentic!
These are some of the words that come to mind after I watched the beautifully produced concert. It gave myself, and the other virtual attendees an opportunity to listen to poetry that awoke emotions and renewed our energy.
I wanted to hear it from him. I wanted to hear how he had managed to keep this alive, so I tracked him down, and we dialogued for a minute.
“This all came to me around 1998/1999. I had gone to Philadelphia to a poetry event, and I was so impressed with what I saw. Just like that, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I decided that I was going to put together a poetry concert and incorporate American and Canadian poets.”
400 people showed up to that first show. Although Dwayne had only planned to do one, all of a sudden, the demand was there.
“It was amazing to be part of something that allowed Black men to articulate how they see the world through poetry,” Dwayne tells me. “It is unfortunate, but many of the things we spoke about twenty-two years ago, we are still speaking about today.
The show is a celebration about life in the Black culture. This is the second year we have had to do the show virtually. I had to get creative with how to do the show. I asked myself questions like; how do we keep people engaged? I think that people really enjoyed the production quality, and the little additions we added to the show.”
I learned that Dwayne hand selects his artists for the concert. Due to his travels, and many networking opportunities, Dwayne has a chance to meet a lot of people. “When I am putting the show together in my mind, I put artists together who compliment each other. I want the audience to see the many different Black perspectives, because there are many.”
With everything there comes some challenges, and with this event it is a common challenge, money. “One of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to fund it. My number one sponsor is Visa,” Dwayne told me jokingly.
Then of course, there is finding a strong team.
“I have a very small team. People like the light of the show, but are not always there to flip the switch,” Dwayne shares.
“Regardless, when something needs to get done, it will get done. For me, it is important that my work is not just about negative things. It is so important for Black people to know that although all these negative things are happening, we are supposed to have joy. “
This is why “When Brothers Speak” remains North America’s largest and longest running showcase of Black, male, spoken word artists.
“Anything else that you want to say to the global community,” I asked Dwayne.
“Allies have to show up, have to listen and hear exactly what we have to say. Racism is always brought up as a Black issue. It is not our issue; other people have to work on themselves. Show up at these events and hear what is being said.”
“Speak brother, Speak!”