Brave New Voices ...in the voice of Aja.

"My team, the Urban Word NYC slam team,

had a particularly moving and startling breakdown at our semifinals bout after a poet, Jorge,

completely broke with disappointment in the lack of support and positive energy showed to the New York City team.

One of our core focuses as educators and cultivators of young voices at Urban Word NYC in the slam,

is we expect each team member and Urban Word entourage members

including coaches and mentors to support every team we compete against.

We shake hands and introduce ourselves to other team members

and after giving standing ovations to each team we competed against we therein realized that New York City received unmotivated claps and a few supporting screams,

Jorge was flooded with rage and tears and proceeded to throw his fists in the air with frustration--

we had to walk him out the room and decided then that the best way to handle the hurt of the team

was to confront the issue at hand.

Jorge closed our semi final round with a poem he dedicates to his grandmother, dealing with the gentrification of Harlem.

Prior to reading this poem he opened with a brutally vulnerable introduction and disclaimer.

His confusion of the lack of support resonated with us all and he wore his heart proudly on that stage,

admitting the feelings shared with other teams,

the need and want to be supported and the frustration with those caught up in the competition

and forgetting the importance of uniting together at this festival not as teams against each other

but as young people coming together against and simultaneously, for the world.

He admitted NYC having felt so alone at BNV this year in an emotionally wrecking way,

he then continued into his poem and overwhelmed with self stumbled across words,

displaying an incredible source of organic unpolished vulnerability that spoke

to a universal truth we could all experience and understand.

After the scores were disregarded by our score keeper, Lauren Whitehead, to which she responded,

teary eyed to Jorge that he was not alone and that none of the young people at BNV were alone,

reminding young people that it was not HBO against them or anyone else

but rather they were the forces of light the world has been pushing for.

I was particularly brought to tears after witnessing the depth of growth in my team and

overwhelmingly proud of all of their efforts and their incredible bravery.

The bout was simply put, magic in so many ways, a work of God, truly.

So much gratitude to QUEEN GODIS,

who supported the team through each bout

though only a few of us will know truly the depth of her wondrous spirit,

I am in awe of the incredible ability she has to awaken the best in our spirits and the source of life in our selves."

--Aja-Monet <3

** i dont think anyone could have said it better **