#freeupstatepoetry

Free:

adjective

Not under the control or in the power of another; able to act or be done as one wishes.


Not physically restrained, obstructed or fixed: unimpeded.


adverb

Without cost or payment


verb

Release from captivity, confinement or slavery


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Upstate South Carolina:

The region in the westernmost part of South Carolina, consisting of 10 counties (Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Cherokee, Union, Abbeville and Greenwood).


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Poetry:

noun

Literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature.


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The best ideas start as conversations -Jonathan Lee



#freeupstatepoetry started as a conversation within a group text. It was a spontaneous reaction to a somewhat unrelated topic at the time.


It was also born from a feeling I have had regarding the poetry community in the upstate for a very long time. No shade, but it just doesn't have the same vibe it did years ago.


Maybe that is due to my opinion of what I feel poetry is supposed to be. To me, poetry is more than just what it is by definition. Poetry represents a community; people from all walks of life and economic backgrounds. It can be home to the poet and to the listener. Truth be told, poetry here in the upstate hasn't felt like home in quite some time. I mean that in all sincerity.


What really has me on one, though, is the reaction others have had to people expressing that sentiment, i.e myself and my friend, Celestial Poet.


We're grown folks, people. I don't exactly know the history of spoken word here in Greenville, SC. All I know is when I arrived here in 2002-2003, one of the first places I hung out at was at a spoken word open mic. Coming from New York where open mics were a dime a dozen, it was familiar territory. I felt at home immediately. I met some folks there that I ended up working with on my first and only hip-hop CD. I transitioned with those same people into a spoken word artist/ author and worked on several projects with them and other spoken word artists in the area. I consider these people family.


Family discusses things amongst themselves when issues or concerns arise. Or at least they should.


That being said, family often disagrees on a number of topics.


While there are several issues and concerns that have arisen since a photograph of me wearing a #freeupstatepoetry shirt popped up on social media, I am just going to address what I can speak on directly.


The shirt, the hashtag and the message.


Like I said earlier, the hashtag was born of an idea during a conversation in a group text. The idea came from me.


The shirt? A prototype. I enlisted another friend of mine to make it so I could wear it to an event promoting community, healing and unity. With the interest and dialogue that came about at that event, I decided to create a campaign for the shirts on teespring.com


The message was clearly posted on the campaign page and is still there:   "For Healing, Growth and Community".


I am unable to address the issues that have come up otherwise because I am not directly involved. But I will say this: I am in full support of my sister and friend, Celestial Poet, and anyone else who feels like #freeupstatepoetry speaks to their concerns and feelings about the current state of poetry/ spoken word in the Upstate.


It's not about t-shirt sales, competition, garnering support for venues or taking away from an organization or venue that has a foothold in the poetry community here in Greenville.


It's about healing, growth and community.

It's about freedom of expression.

It's about the art.

It's about feeling welcome and safe.

It has also turned into a call to do things the right way. Period.


No one person, group or organization can have a monopoly on expression. So there shouldn't be a level of division when another group decides to offer an alternative to what currently exists. That goes for a place to hold an open mic, book signing, performance, gallery showing, etc.


There also should be a level of understanding when an idea or movement supports an individual or group that feels like they've been done wrong. This isn't to say all parties involved should or have to agree. But when it is clear and obvious that a wrong has been done, there should be open dialogue and that person or group's concerns shouldn't be marginalized. Personal feelings about unrelated issues shouldn't affect how those concerns are addressed.


When serious issues are brought up, they should be addressed immediately, unequivocally, indiscriminately and directly, no matter who's involved and regardless of status and stature.


Of course, we are talking "perfect world" living here, so I don't (and didn't in this case) expect this to always occur.


But we are also talking about family here.


Movements can mean different things to different people while still maintaining it's core principles and values. Friction often occurs when a person, group or organization feels the movement is targeting them and, in some cases, that's true. When that happens, the targeted person, group or organization goes on the defensive.


Or they just hijack the narrative.


We saw this when it came to Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players choosing to kneel during the national anthem on game days. Donald Trump hijacked the narrative and turned well intended athletes, who were kneeling in protest to police brutality towards unarmed Black citizens, into villains.


That was strategic. It was calculated. It worked.


While the narrative of #freeupstatepoetry may not resonate on the same levels as the NFL protests or, say #blacklivesmatter, it is rooted in a similar vein, probably more so now than when the idea was first conceived. Why? Because of the reaction of those who felt the movement was directed at them. The movement was never about one person, or a few persons. It was about a feeling a group of poets/ artists/ activists had. When those individuals took their personal experiences and wove them through the fabric of the core values #freeupstatepoetry is based on, others reacted. Some were curious while others felt attacked. Some reached out in support and others deleted long time friends from their lives. Personally, the negative reaction I experienced had more to do with issues outside of the #freeupstatepoetry movement. Issues that had more to do with them than they had to do with me. Loyalty seemed to be in question, when loyalty wasn't an issue that #freeupstatepoetry was addressing at all.


You know what else breeds actions to shift the narrative of a cause or movement?


Guilt.

Ignorance.

Selfishness.

Entitlement.

Supremacy.


All one has to do, if they are unsure of the motivation behind a cause of a movement, is ask questions to those associated with said movement. The ones that decide to ask, usually do so to make an educated choice to be involved or not. It's either your fight or it's not. Each person has the right to choose to support or oppose any cause or movement. Whether you choose to support or not really isn't indicative of who you are as a person or organization.


Your reaction and actions in respect to that movement, regardless of there basis, says a lot, though.