What is it like to be a young man of color in America? How do you see yourself in the world? These are just some of the questions explored in the new 826 Boston publication, Lift Ev’ry Voice: Narrative and Poems on Manhood.
Created in partnership with Becoming A Man (BAM), this book features poems, spoken-word pieces, and essays from Boston students and their mentors that explore what it’s like to be a young man of color today.
As the Editorial Board shares, “In the spring of 2021, we met weekly on Thursday afternoons and created a community over Zoom led by poet Durane West and author Desmond Hall…Over time, we shared our experiences and found themes that spoke to what it feels like being in our shoes today, like family, and being Black in America.”
Durane West, an 826 Boston Teaching Artist and Editorial Board Leader for this book said, “I think we often talk about the future is the youth. But I think really walking that walk is allowing them to tell us what they see and how they see themselves in the world. I think that’s what this project is about. It’s about a group of young men displaying…how they feel about being young and Black in this country—being young and Black in Boston.” You can hear more from Durane and some of the student authors here.
“I think you will be provoked and inspired by the works within this book which takes on the trauma inflicted on a particular population, while speaking to the vice-like pressure that injustice creates,” shares author Desmond Hall in the book’s foreword. “Among these pages you will also find an evocative representation of the unwavering commitment to family and community, and the enduring value of hard work and the true meaning of uplift.”
Purchase your own copy of Lift Ev’ry Voice at our online store.
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