Providence, RI: April 12, 2006 -- The Sexual Assault & Trauma Resource Center (SATRC) in conjunction
with Black Repertory Theater presents, Activate the Activist: a poetry slam to generate awareness about sexual assault. This all ages featured event is scheduled for 8:30pm April 17th at the Providence Black
Repertory Company on 276 Westminster St, Providence. Cost is $5 and a portion of proceeds will benefit SATRC.
April is both Sexual Assault Awareness Month and National Poetry Month. Activate the Activist: Poetry for
Social Change offers open mic and planned performances centered on stopping sexual assault, supporting victims, and eradicating the culture of violence in which we live.
"Art, in its many forms, serves as a powerful vehicle to awaken the masses to the many social ills of our culture," says Lauren Bedard, slam coordinator and rural outreach child abuse intervention specialist at the
Sexual Assault & Trauma Resource Center. "The words of lyrical artists have the power to activate the activist dormant within so many, inspiring them to take a proactive stance and join the movement to
eradicate sexual violence."
As part of the event, the AS220 National Youth Slam Team will perform followed by featured performance
by Mahagony Browne, from New York. Browne is nationally acclaimed and has been performing intensely creative performance poetry scene since early 1998. As a member of the highly regarded safe sex crew,
The Punany Poets (as seen on HBO's Real Sex 24 & 26) Browne aspires to alert the Hip-Hop generation with safer sex methods and currently spear-heads the educational program Hip-Hop Poetry as New
Professional Theatre's Educational Director.
The evening will close out with the Adult Slam, featuring talented poets from across RI. A poetry slam is a
three round competition in which poets are scored on a scale of one to ten. Poets must have 3 prepared poems relating to sexual violence and poets are invited to submit a written copy for publication by SATRC.
Poems must be performed in under 3 minutes; 1 pt deduction for every 10 seconds over the 3 minute time limit. Parents of younger children should be cautioned that this is an intense, uncensored experience.
Poets will create awareness by speaking to the following issues:
- What makes a sexually violent culture: factors, ideas, behaviors, environments
- An expression a personal encounter with sexual violence as a victim, bystander, or loved one or a tribute to victim/survivor
- To my sons: what would you tell a young man about respect for self, for life and for women?
"Poetry is a perfect opportunity to illuminate problem sexual violence," says Chris Johnson, Coordinator of
Virtuosity Poetry Night at the Providence Black Repertory Company. "The Black Rep routinely draws a large crowd for our slams and we find great peace in raising awareness and getting more people involved to help
end sexual violence."
Laura Wood and Yunus Abdul Quddus will serve as Slam Co-Hosts. Laura is an actress, singer, songwriter,
multi-instrumentalist whose creative projects include singing with the Black Rep's Neon Soul Collective, the Manton Avenue Theater Project, and her band Janus Code. Yunus is a residential counselor and
accomplished poet, who has been writing poetry for the past twenty years and is a member of Spitting Images, a touring performance poetry group which has performed in many colleges and venues around New England.
Powerful and personal works from the Clotheslines Project of the YMCA, will be on display showing survivors expressions of their pain and healing. Volunteer advocates from the Victims of Crime Helpline will
be available throughout the performances to provide information and referrals.
SATRC is sponsoring a number of events throughout the month of April. To learn more visit
