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We ask a lot of our words. When anger burns our throats, we need them to express unutterable rage. In times of sorrow, they translate the unimaginable depth of our pain. In moments when hope is lost, they point us to a just future we may not see. Words save us. Fail us. Move us. Perhaps that is why we are drawn to those who craft them into poems and songs that do what our tongues will not.

Our country stands at a crossroads. It is not a new one, nor is it the first time. How can words help us create change that is both deep and sustainable?

Join us for a conversation with multi-hyphenate artists Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Kokayi Issa, and Rasu Jilani about the poetry of rage and possibility. These wordsmiths have a demonstrated commitment to poetry as praxis, as a catalyst for change and connection. This program marks Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.