Words that heal

When tensions between Asian-American and African-American students at South Philly High erupted in violence last year,  professor and spoken word poet Michelle Myers initiated dialogue the best way she knew how: through poetry. Myers, half of the Asian-American spoken-word troupe Yellow Rage, drew attention to the issues through her poems:

When Myers met with the students who’d been assaulted at South Philly High last year, she recalls they were too enthralled with her performance to speak about the violence. “They wanted to talk about the feeling,” she says. “They wanted to ask me how I was able to express that feeling within performance. They could see the emotion and that’s what they connected to.”

Meyers has partnered with Vietnamese-American poet Bao Phi as well as African-American muralist Yis Goodwin to encourage students to create their own art in response to conflict:

Both poets agree that spoken-word poetry can result in empowerment and community dialogue. The power of spoken word lies in its sense of immediacy, they say, as well as the up-front nature of the performers.