Anancy Festival Pembroke Pines
June 28, 2014
Time: Noon – 4:00 pm
South Regional/Broward College Library
7300 Pines Boulevard, Pembroke Pines, FL 33024
Admission: Free
Letter from Marcus Garvey
London, 9 June 1940
When I was in the Atlanta Federal Prison
I chanted through the silence, "Keep cool,
keep cool," For I didn't want to see twisted
bodies ripening on the flowering dogwood.
Or when I emerged from the caverns
of the Spanish Town District Prison,
the children hurled stones at my head,
like I was some lame poet,
and even after my first betrayal
when Amy brawled with a Judas,
you ignored me and said I made us
"a laughingstock to the world."
I took it because I knew you were blind
to your own beauty, that you could be seduced
by weak-kneed hypocrites who would call me
"a half-wit, low-grade moron." I took it all.
But what has me choking
on my words,is not the asthma,
the shortness of breath
that has slowed my heart,
my body that will be taken away soon-soon
by the whirlwind--what's left me mute
is the broken faith of my brothers
and sisters, scattered like goats on a far
hillside where my father lies buried
under the broad leaves of the breadfruit;
his bones warmer than these white,
cold pages swirling in my doorway
"Letter from Marcus Garvey" by Geoffrey Philp
"Letter from Marcus Garvey" was first published in Dance the Guns to Silence (2005), an anthology of poems that celebrated the life of the Nigerian activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa ((1941-1995): "the writer cannot be a mere storyteller; he cannot be a mere teacher; he cannot merely X-ray society's weaknesses, its ills, its perils. He or she must be actively involved shaping its present and its future."
The title, Dance the Guns to Silence is taken from one of Saro-Wiwa’s own poems, ‘Dance’. The anthology has a Foreword written by Ken Wiwa and editorial advisory from the renowned Malawian poet, now living in exile in Britain, Jack Mapanje.
Dance the Guns to Silence is an anthology of strong, thoughtful, poems of tribute, ranging from words of social consciousness to hard hitting images and moving stories.
Dance the Guns to Silence: 100 Poems Inspired by Ken Saro-Wiwa.
Edited by: Nii Ayikwei Parkes and; Kadija George.
National Caribbean-American Heritage Month 2014
A Proclamation
For centuries, the United States and nations in the Caribbean have grown alongside each other as partners in progress. Separated by sea but united by a yearning for independence, our countries won the right to chart their own destinies after generations of colonial rule. Time and again, we have led the way to a brighter future together -- from lifting the stains of slavery and segregation to widening the circle of opportunity for our sons and daughters.
National Caribbean-American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate those enduring achievements. It is also a chance to recognize men and women who trace their roots to the Caribbean. Through every chapter of our Nation's history, Caribbean Americans have made our country stronger -- reshaping our politics and reigniting the arts, spurring our movements and answering the call to serve. Caribbean traditions have enriched our own, and woven new threads into our cultural fabric. Again and again, Caribbean immigrants and their descendants have reaffirmed America's promise as a land of opportunity -- a place where no matter who you are or where you come from, you can make it if you try.
Together, as a Nation of immigrants, we will keep writing that story. And alongside our partners throughout the Caribbean, we will keep working to achieve inclusive economic growth, access to clean and affordable energy, enhanced security, and lasting opportunity for all our people. As we honor Caribbean Americans this month, let us strengthen the ties that bind us as members of the Pan American community, and let us resolve to carry them forward in the years ahead.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2014 as National Caribbean-American Heritage Month. I encourage all Americans to celebrate the history and culture of Caribbean Americans with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.
Presidential Proclamation for 2014 National Caribbean American Heritage Month -- JUNE 1st - [email protected] - Gmail:
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