Poetry project confronts racism
Pushing back Against “Comfortable Silence”
Poetry project confronts racism, remembers victims of Charleston, S.C. massacre
PITTSBURGH, Jan. 19, 2015 – The Pittsburgh Foundation has commissioned nine local poets to create new works for “Psalms for Mother Emanuel: an Elegy from Pittsburgh to Charleston,” a chapbook reflecting on racial issues and last year’s shootings at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. Serving as co-contributing editors of the project, poets Tameka Cage-Conley and Yona Harvey said in an announcement that they hope the poems will “spur a collective reflection on the meaning of the nine lives extinguished in Charleston and the persistence of racial animus in our national life.”
Other commissioned poets include Cameron Barnett, Vanessa German, Terrance Hayes, Sheila Carter-Jones, Kelli Stevens Kane, Joy KMT and Alexis Payne.
“We’re looking to create a public space for dialogue and greater understanding of racial issues,” said Germaine Williams, the Foundation’s senior program officer for Arts and Culture. “‘Psalms for Mother Emanuel’ features a collection of powerful voices to spark a discussion about the impact of racial violence both locally and nationally.”
Speaking in the wake of the violence in Charleston, President Obama warned against the “comfortable silence” that often follows difficult tragedies. “Once the eulogies have been delivered, once the TV cameras move on, to go back to business as usual,” he said, “[is] what we so often do to avoid uncomfortable truths about the prejudice that still infects our society.”
Project directors will publish a chapbook of the commissioned poets’ work and hold a June 17 memorial event acknowledging the one-year anniversary of the shootings. The public is invited to follow the project, read poet biographies, and to submit their own poems reflecting on race at psalmsformotheremanuel.tumblr.com.
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About the 2015 Charleston church massacre:
On the evening of June 17, 2015, members of the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. welcomed a 21-year-old, self-professed white supremacist, into their midst during a Bible study. The attack resulted in the killing of nine congregation members. The Pittsburgh Foundation’s “Psalms for Mother Emanuel: an Elegy from Pittsburgh to Charleston” initiative was created to memorialize the victims so that their names, legacies and power will continue to live on.
About The Pittsburgh Foundation:
Established in 1945, The Pittsburgh Foundation is one of the nation’s oldest community foundations and is the 13th largest of more than 750 community foundations across the United States. As a community foundation, its resources comprise endowment funds established by individuals, businesses and organizations with a passion for charitable giving and a deep commitment to the Pittsburgh community. The Foundation currently has more than 2,000 individual donor funds and, together with its supporting organizations, assets of more than $1.14 billion. Grantmaking benefits a broad spectrum of community life within Pittsburgh and beyond. Learn more at www.pittsburghfoundation.org.