a RING THEIR VOICES Students share social justice poetry with Marblehead Racial Justice Team

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For National Poetry Month, the Marblehead Racial Justice Team invited local students to read aloud poems about social justice at a gathering on April 24.

“With grace and courage, our Marblehead students shared some of their favorite poems and reminded us how important it is to listen to and embrace all voices with empathy,” said MRJT member Lindsay Smith. “A desire to understand narratives that differ from our own is one of the first steps in tackling injustice.”

Damilola Olabisi read “The Black Family Pledge” by Maya Angelou, Niko Mahan read “Sympathy by Paul Laurence Dunbar, Molly Blander read “Harlem” by Langston Hughes, Grace Wolverton read “Choices” by Nikkie Giovanni and Nina Johnson read her own original poem “If the World Stopped to Listen.”

This is an excerpt from “If the World Stopped to Listen.” our generation is changing things small steps — like snowflakes — accumulate until we blanket the world in peace There will be gender equality when we feel safe when we can speak when we are seen when we can unfurl our wings and finally fly if we all raise our voices and start with the truth we will rise and lift others with us and the world will hear our stories.