The homie said that they didn’t understand what I was doing at first and that I needed to break this part down more publicly.
As long as I’ve been in Sacramento a certain demographic has been trying to keep Hip Hop out of the realm of poetry. They do not see rap as a legitimate form to be recognized the same way that a sonnet, a haiku, or a cinquain is.
Literally when I was nominated Poet Laureate there was an alliance of people who went as far as making t‑shirts that said
“(Another Poet Laureate competitor’s name) is my Laureate.”
They tried to dismiss and condescend any rap that I posted and called some of the most important Black artists in this city’s history “goofy” on public platforms.
It was such stereotypical basic old problematic white people shit.
The reality was that while on the outside they were acting as though they didn’t respect the artform, on the inside they feared it, and they knew they could never do it.
So they tried everything they could to keep it, and us, and me … out.
So … fast forward. 26 October 2022.
For SACRAMENTO POETRY DAY 2022 we are introducing a collection and curriculum in partnership with Sacramento school districts composed entirely of local poets and poetry including songwriters AND rappers.
It is our goal to make this package available to the 250k students in Sacramento schools. I would love to include all of you. I’m doing this project off my own fellowship award this year with no City, County, or other funding, so I can’t do as much as I would like for everyone who submits, but we are giving out three $125 prizes (raffle, not contest) for the collection and your work will be honored and used to help educate and expose the next generation to Sacramento’s poetic legacy.
With your support we can really turn this into something, but I need your help.
Please submit a piece via the website at SacramentoPoetryDay.com
All submissions must be student appropriate. Videos accepted.
And please share with your networks. 💜💜💜
—andru defeye
Flommist Andru Defeye is the Guerrilla Poet Laureate of Sacramento. Copyright © 2022 Andru Defeye.
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