Brave New Voices

The only thing better than a powerful spoken word piece is a powerful spoken word piece performed as a duet. Kai Davis and Safiya Washington deliver this intoxicatingly sharp, hard-hitting, spot-on, middle-finger-to-white-hipster-racism slam poem as a part of the Brave New Voices competition in 2012. I love this poem for many reasons, not the least of which is how aesthetically pleasing it is to hear. Their voices work together to infuse energy, passion, aggression and force into their poem. Their belief and fervor in their words is unmistakable. Moreover, it is so evident that this poem is grounded in their daily thoughts, relevant and directly related to their lives. As such, the stage and microphone become tools to elevate voices, which, given the subject matter, is essential to the art of poetry. Their rhymes are quick, pointed and direct. They portray precisely the images they want to with few words and laudable brevity. Best of all, their ability to bounce off one another, sometimes sharing lines, sometimes alternating, is unique and spectacular to watch. And, of course, their critique is warranted. May this always serve as a reminder to make sure our privilege is not the most prominent thing about us.

Brave New Voices