In the wake of the killing of Michael Brown and the continued uprisings in Ferguson as well as others unpublicized, Dominique C. Hill, Stephen John Quaye, and Mahauganee D. Shaw (faculty members in the College of Education, Health, and Society) organized a town hall to bring the Miami community together to make sense of these events. The purpose of the town hall was to examine the creative potential of this moment. Structured as a working session, this event offered insights into this particular moment in the United States, while brainstorming what we (as individuals within higher education) could do to actively engage in and shape this moment.
At the end of the town hall, we invited those present to create a collective poem to hear the many voices represented in the space. We share this poem below as a way to kick off the semester in solidarity and illustrate the power of the words people shared.
If you want to join this movement, e-mail Dominique at hilldc@MiamiOH.edu.
Also, be sure to follow the Mobilizing Anger Collective on Twitter @MobilizingAnger and use the hashtag #MobilizingAnger
I / We Stand For
All lives
The people who do experience discrimination that I don't experience because I don't "look" Cuban
Stolen slaves dead w/ no name…and the game of Capoeira they gave us
Compassion, justice, truth-telling
All of those who haven't been able to stand for themselves
Organizing and working for justice
Teaching my white son to see his privilege and make room
The pain of myself and others. I will always stand with you
Those who are not heard, seen, spoken to/for
Equity in higher education
The humanity and existence of all people
Equity and social justice
Equality
Listening to/for the complexity of every person's story
Black lives along with gay lives along with women lives
Love
Dismantling the oppression that is all connected and tears at every human being
Change in a world of instability
Justice and love for everyone
Loving myself as a trans* person and loving all other trans* people
This being about each and every one of us. Here. Now.
Good vibes and positive energy
ALL HUMAN BEINGS
Love, justice, art
Providing space for everyone to be heard and seen
Being dangerous
Tamir Rice and all young black boys robbed of their childhood
Education/education ignorance with understanding, communication, unity and empowerment
All of those who can no longer stand for themselves
Critical consciousness
Love and respect
Justice and peace
Justice. Virtue. Integrity. Accountability. Peace and love
Independent thought, actions that don't conform to the system, singing, dancing, creativity, the hood and the good, the hustle, the struggle to fit in the world but be myself
Humanity. Living without fear.
Justice and refusing to remain silent
All of those people who are silenced
Making Miami a more inclusive environment
Students
Compassion, empathy, bolstering, the voices of the marginalized and oppressed
Courageous conversations
Equality
Support
Being mindful to those who need mercy
Change
Empathy, equity, and most importantly, I stand with all of those black lives taken too soon
Love
Creating community, direct action, Creating permanent change
Making people feel valued
Community
Equal opportunity
Respect
On the shoulders of my ancestors
My trans* community and the people fighting for social justice
A Voice
Educating students
My students
Equality
Dominique C. Hill, Stephen John Quaye, and Mahauganee D. Shaw
Faculty members in the College of Education, Health, and Society