ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Aja Monet - Poet, educator, cultural worker
Aja Monet is a Caribbean American poet, performer and educator born in Brooklyn, New York.

Why you should listen

Aja Monet started actively reading and reciting poetry in the New York City youth poetry/slam community in high school with an organization called Urban Word NYC. Her poems are lyrical, wise and courageous. She received her BA in liberal arts from Sarah Lawrence College in 2009 and her MFA in creative writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2011. While at Sarah Lawrence College, Monet was awarded the legendary Nuyorican Poet's Café Grand Slam title in 2007. She has been internationally recognized for combining her spellbound voice and vivid poetic imagery on stage. While in college, she used music and poetry to help organize urgent responses to natural disasters in New Orleans and later on in Haiti as well as local community issues. In 2015, she was invited by the Dream Defenders to be a part of a movement delegation to Palestine, and she has continued to work in collaboration with cultural workers and organizers to demonstrate radical solidarity. 

In 2018, Monet’s first full collection of poetry, my mother was a freedom fighter, was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work. She read the title poem of her collection at the national Women’s March on Washington DC in 2017 to commemorate women of the Diaspora. In 2012, she collaborated with poet/musician Saul Williams on the book Chorus, an anthem of a new generation of poets.

Monet currently lives in Little Haiti, Miami, where she is cofounder of Smoke Signals Studio, a collective dedicated to music, art, culture and organizing. In collaboration with Community Justice Project and inspired by poet June Jordan's revolutionary blueprint, Monet facilitates "Voices: Poetry for the People," a grassroots workshop for organizers and community leaders. In 2018, the workshop created the first annual Maroon Poetry Festival in Liberty City, Miami, to honor artists and cultural workers for their commitment to radical truth-telling. A lover of art, music, and poetry, Monet has continued to collaborate with artists across all genres including musicians Vijay Iyer, Samora Pinderhughes, Gerald Clayton and visual artists Carrie Mae Weems, Mike Schreiber and countless more. She volunteers at Dade Correctional Facility teaching "Poetry for the People" with an organization called Exchange for Change.

More profile about the speaker
Aja Monet | Speaker | TED.com
phillip agnew - Organizer, artist, cultural critic
The cofounder of Smoke Signals Studio, phillip agnew is a nationally recognized educator, strategist, trainer, speaker and cultural critic.

Why you should listen

phillip agnew cofounded the Dream Defenders in 2012 after the murder of Trayvon Martin and has been dubbed "one of this generation’s leading voices" and recognized by both EBONY magazine and The Root as one of the 100 most influential African Americans in the nation. He emerged as a national activist when he helped to organize students from FAMU, Florida State University and Tallahassee Community College in the creation of the Student Coalition for Justice, which was formed in response to the Martin Lee Anderson case. 

agnew is the cofounder of Miami's Smoke Signals Studio -- a community based radical artistic space -- with his partner, poet Aja Monet. Smoke Signals Studio is a space where those invested in using art, sound and music as a meeting place for transformation and liberation can come to create together.

In 2018, agnew transitioned from his role as codirector of the Dream Defenders and now travels the country teaching and organizing outside of the movement bubble. He has spoken at colleges and conferences around the country and was a featured speaker at TEDWomen 2018 and SXSW in 2019. agnew is member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and a Board Member for Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

More profile about the speaker
phillip agnew | Speaker | TED.com
TEDWomen 2018

Aja Monet and phillip agnew: A love story about the power of art as organizing

Aja Monet e Phillip Agnew: Uma história de amor sobre o poder da arte como organização

Filmed:
2,183,482 views

Em uma palestra lírica cheia de imaginação, a poeta Aja Monet e o líder comunitário Phillip Agnew compartilham a história de como se apaixonaram e aprenderam sobre a poderosa conexão entre grandes movimentos sociais e a arte significativa. Viaje para o Smoke Signals Studio em Miami, a casa e espaço de arte comunitária onde eles estão criando um refúgio para vizinhos e criadores, e imaginando uma nova resposta para distração, raiva e ansiedade.
- Poet, educator, cultural worker
Aja Monet is a Caribbean American poet, performer and educator born in Brooklyn, New York. Full bio - Organizer, artist, cultural critic
The cofounder of Smoke Signals Studio, phillip agnew is a nationally recognized educator, strategist, trainer, speaker and cultural critic. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
Aja Monet: Our story begins
like all great, young love stories.
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Aja Monet: Nossa história começa como
toda história de amor intenso e jovem.
Phillip Agnew: Ela lia
as minhas mensagens...
00:17
Phillip Agnew: She slid in my DMs ...
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00:19
AM: He liked about 50 of my photos,
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AM: Ele curtia 50 das minhas fotos,
00:21
back-to-back,
in the middle of the night --
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uma após a outra, no meio da noite.
00:23
PA: What I saw was an artist
committed to truth and justice --
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PA: Vi uma artista comprometida
com a verdade e a justiça;
00:28
and she's beautiful, but I digress.
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e ela é bonita, mas estou divagando.
00:30
AM: Our story actually begins
across many worlds,
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AM: Nossa história começa
entre diversos mundos,
00:33
over maqluba and red wine in Palestine.
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sobre maqluba e vinho tinto na Palestina.
00:37
But how did we get there?
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Mas, como chegamos lá?
00:39
PA: Well, I was born in Chicago,
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PA: Eu nasci em Chicago,
00:41
the son of a preacher and a teacher.
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filho de um pastor e uma professora.
00:43
My ears first rung with church songs
sung by my mother on Saturday mornings.
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Comecei ouvindo músicas de igreja
cantadas por minha mãe aos sábados.
00:48
My father's South Side
sermons summoned me.
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Os sermões do meu pai me convocaram.
00:50
My first words
were more notes than quotes.
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Minhas primeiras palavras
foram mais notas do que citações.
00:54
It was music that molded me.
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Foi a música que me moldou.
00:56
Later on, it was Florida A&M University
that first introduced me to organizing.
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Mais tarde, fui introduzido à organização
pela Universidade da Flórida.
01:00
In 2012, a young black male
named Trayvon Martin was murdered,
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Em 2012, um jovem negro
chamado Trayvon Martin foi assassinado,
01:04
and it changed my life
and millions of others'.
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e isso mudou a minha vida
e a de muitas pessoas.
01:06
We were a ragtag group
of college kids and not-quite adults
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Éramos um grupo desorganizado
de jovens universitários
01:10
who had decided enough was enough.
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decidindo que era hora de mudança.
01:12
Art and organizing became our answer
to anger and anxiety.
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Arte e organização viraram
nossa resposta à raiva e à ansiedade.
01:16
We built a movement
and it traveled around the world
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Construímos um movimento que viajou
pelo mundo até a Palestina, em 2015.
01:19
and to Palestine, in 2015.
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01:21
AM: I was born to a single mother
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AM: Nasci de uma mãe solteira,
numa casa do conjunto residencial
Pink Houses no Brooklyn, Nova Iorque.
01:23
in the Pink House projects
of Brooklyn, New York.
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01:26
Maddened by survival,
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Louca para sobreviver,
01:28
I gravitated inwards towards books, poems
and my brother's hand-me-down Walkman.
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gravitei dentro de livros, poemas
e do walkman que meu irmão me deu.
01:32
I saw train-station theater,
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Vi pessoas fazendo arte no metrô,
01:35
subwoofing streets and hood murals.
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e carros de som coloridos e barulhentos.
01:38
In high school, I found a community
of metaphor magicians
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No ensino médio, encontrei uma comunidade
de mágicos metafóricos
01:41
and truth-telling poets
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e poetas que diziam a verdade
01:43
in an organization called Urban Word NYC.
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em uma organização chamada Urban Word NYC.
01:46
Adopted by the Black Arts movement,
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Adotada pelo movimento da Arte Negra,
01:49
I won the legendary
Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam title.
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eu ganhei o legendário título de
Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam.
01:52
(Applause and cheers)
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(Aplausos)
01:54
At Sarah Lawrence College,
I worked with artists
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Na faculdade Sarah Lawrence,
trabalhei com artistas
01:56
to respond to Hurricane Katrina
and the earthquake;
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para reagir ao furacão Katrina.
02:00
I discovered the impact of poetry
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Descobri o impacto da poesia
02:02
and the ability to not just
articulate our feelings,
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e a habilidade de, não só articular
nossos sentimentos,
02:05
but to get us to work
towards changing things
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mas de trabalhar para mudar as coisas,
participando ativamente dessas mudanças.
02:09
and doing something about it,
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Foi quando uma amiga, Maytah Alhassen,
me convidou para ir à Palestina.
02:11
when a friend, Maytha Alhassen,
invited me to Palestine ...
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02:14
PA: We were a delegation
of artists and organizers,
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PA: Éramos uma delegação
de artistas e organizadores
02:17
and we immersed ourselves
in Palestinian culture,
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imersos na cultura palestina,
suas músicas e histórias.
02:19
music, their stories.
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Tarde da noite, discutíamos
o papel da arte na política
02:21
Late into the night,
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02:22
we would have discussions
about the role of art in politics
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02:26
and the role of politics in art.
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e o da política na arte.
02:28
Aja and I disagree.
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Aja e eu discordávamos.
02:30
AM: Oh, we disagree.
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AM: E como!
02:31
PA: But we quite quickly
and unsurprisingly fell in love.
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PA: Mas rapidamente,
sem surpresa, nos apaixonamos.
02:35
Exhibit A:
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Evidência A:
eu, exercendo minha "mágica".
02:36
me working my magic.
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(Risos)
02:38
(Laughter)
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02:40
AM: Obvious, isn't it?
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AM: Óbvio, né?
02:42
Four months later, this artist --
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Quatro meses depois, essa artista...
02:45
PA: and this organizer --
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PA: E esse organizador...
02:47
AM: moved into a little home
with a big backyard, in Miami.
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AM: mudaram-se para um pequeno lar
com um grande quintal, em Miami.
02:54
PA: (Sighs)
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(Suspiros)
02:56
Listen, five months
before this ever happened,
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PA: Cinco meses antes
desses acontecimentos,
02:58
I predicted it all.
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eu previ tudo e vou contar.
02:59
I'm going to tell you --
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Um amigo me disse:
03:01
a friend sat me down and said,
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03:02
"You've done so much for organizing,
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"Você fez tanto pela organização,
quando vai sossegar?"
03:04
when are you going to settle down?"
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Eu olhei nos olhos dele e disse:
03:06
I looked him straight in the face
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03:07
and I said, "The only way
that it would ever happen
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"O único jeito de isso acontecer
algum dia é com uma colisão.
03:10
is if it is a collision.
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03:11
This woman would have to knock me
completely off course."
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Essa mulher teria que realmente
me tirar do eixo".
03:14
I didn't know how right I was.
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Eu não sabia quão certo estava.
03:16
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
03:17
Our first few months
were like any between young lovers:
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Nossos primeiros meses
foram como de todo jovem apaixonado:
03:20
filled with hot, passionate, all-night ...
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de noites cheias de quentes, passionais...
03:24
AM: nonstop ...
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AM: Sem parar...
03:26
PA: discussions.
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PA: Discussões!
03:27
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
03:28
PA: Aja challenged everything
I knew and understood about the world.
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Aja questionava toda minha visão de mundo.
03:32
She forced me --
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Ela me forçava...
03:33
AM: lovingly --
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AM: Com muito amor...
03:34
PA: to see our organizing
work with new eyes.
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PA: a ver nosso trabalho com novos olhos.
03:37
She helped me see the unseen things
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E me ajudou a ver coisas escondidas
03:38
and how artists illuminate
our interior worlds.
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e como artistas iluminam
nosso mundo interior.
03:41
AM: There were many days
I did not want to get up out of bed
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AM: Houve vários dias que não queria
me levantar e encarar o mundo lá fora.
03:44
and face the exterior world.
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03:46
I was discouraged.
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Estava desencorajada.
03:48
There was so much loss and death
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Havia tanta perda e morte,
03:51
and artists were being used
to numb, lull and exploit.
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artistas sendo usados
para alienar e explorar.
03:55
While winning awards, accolades
and grants soothed so many egos,
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Enquanto egos eram acalmados
com subsídios, prêmios e elogios,
04:01
people were still dying
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as pessoas estavam morrendo
04:03
and I was seeking community.
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e eu estava em busca de pertencimento.
04:05
Meeting Phillip brought so much joy,
love, truth into my life,
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Conhecer o Phillip trouxe tanta alegria,
amor e verdade para a minha vida,
04:11
and it pulled me out of isolation.
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que me tirou do isolamento.
04:14
He showed me that community
and relationships
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Ele me mostrou que a comunidade
e relacionamentos
04:17
wasn't just about building
great movements.
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não eram apenas sobre construir
grandes movimentos.
04:20
It was integral in creating
powerful, meaningful art,
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Eram sobre criar arte
poderosa e significativa,
04:23
and neither could be done in solitude.
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e isso não pode ser feito sozinho.
04:26
PA: Yeah, we realized many of our artist
and organizer friends were also lost
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PA: Percebemos que muitos amigos
também estavam perdidos
04:30
in these cycles of sadness,
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nesses ciclos de tristeza
04:32
and we were in movements
that often found themselves at funerals.
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e, muitas vezes, estávamos em movimentos
que acabavam levando-nos a funerais.
04:36
We asked ourselves
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Nos perguntamos o que torna
uma geração tão acostumada
04:38
what becomes of a generation
all too familiar
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04:40
with the untimely ends of lives
streamed daily on our Timelines?
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com vidas se acabando tão precocemente
como vemos diariamente nas redes sociais?
04:44
It was during one
of our late-night discussions
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Foi em uma discussão da madrugada,
04:46
that we saw beyond art and organizing
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que olhamos além da arte e da organização,
04:49
and began to see that art was organizing.
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e começamos a ver arte como organização.
04:52
AM: The idea was set:
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AM: A ideia era a de ver arte como âncora,
não como um acessório ao movimento.
04:53
art was an anchor,
not an accessory to movement.
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04:58
Our home was a home
of radical imagination;
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Nossa casa era a da imaginação radical;
05:01
an instrument of our nurturing hearts;
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um instrumento de nossos corações;
05:03
a place of risk where were dared
to laugh, love, cry, debate.
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um lugar onde nos desafiávamos
a rir, amar, chorar e debater.
05:08
Art, books, records and all this stuff
decorated our walls,
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Arte, livros, discos e outras coisas
decoravam nossas paredes.
05:14
and there was lizards --
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E havia lagartos,
05:17
walls of palm trees that guided
our guests into our backyard,
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paredes de palmeiras que guiavam
nossos hóspedes até o quintal,
05:22
where our neighbors would come
and feel right at home.
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onde os vizinhos vinham
e se sentiam em casa.
05:25
The wind --
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O vento era uma afirmação
para quem chegava.
05:27
the wind was an affirmation
for the people who walked into the space.
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05:31
And we learned that in a world --
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Descobrimos que em um mundo
desconcertante e com tanta distração,
05:33
a bewildering world
of so much distraction --
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05:36
we were able to cultivate a space
where people could come and be present,
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podíamos cultivar um espaço
onde pessoas viviam o presente
05:40
and artists and organizers
could find refuge.
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e artistas e organizadores
podiam encontrar refúgio.
05:44
PA: This became Smoke Signals Studio.
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PA: Esse espaço se tornou
o Smoke Signals Studio.
05:47
AM: As we struggle to clothe, house,
feed and educate our communities;
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AM: Enquanto lutávamos para vestir,
abrigar, alimentar e educar
nossas comunidades,
05:52
our spirits hunger for connection,
joy and purpose;
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nossos espíritos estavam famintos
por conexão, alegria e propósito
05:56
and as our bodies
are out on the front lines,
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e com o corpo na linha de frente,
05:59
our souls still need to be fed,
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precisamos alimentar nossa alma
ou acabamos desesperados e depressivos.
06:02
or else we succumb
to despair and depression.
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06:05
Our art possesses rhythmic communication,
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Nossa arte tem uma comunicação rítmica,
06:09
coded emotional cues,
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palpites emocionais codificados,
06:11
improvised feelings of critical thought.
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sentimentos improvisados
de pensamento crítico.
06:14
Our social movements should be like jazz:
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Os movimentos sociais
deveriam ser como o jazz:
06:18
encouraging active participation,
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encorajando participação ativa,
06:20
listening,
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ouvindo, com espontaneidade e liberdade.
06:22
spontaneity and freedom.
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06:23
What people see as a party ...
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O que as pessoas veem como uma festa...
06:26
PA: is actually a movement meeting.
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PA: É, na verdade,
uma reunião do movimento.
06:28
See, we aren't all protest and pain.
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Não somos só protesto e dor.
06:31
Here's a place to be loved,
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É um lugar para se sentir amado,
06:33
to be felt, to be heard,
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sentido, ouvido, e onde nos preparamos
06:34
and where we prepare
for the most pressing political issues
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para as questões políticas
mais urgentes nas nossas vizinhanças.
06:38
in our neighborhoods.
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06:40
See, laws never change culture,
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As leis nunca mudam a cultura,
06:42
but culture always changes laws.
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mas a cultura sempre muda as leis.
06:47
Art --
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Arte...
06:48
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
06:50
Art as organizing is even changing
and opening doors
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como organização está mudando
e abrindo portas em lugares
06:53
in places seen as the opposite of freedom.
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onde não há liberdade.
06:55
Our weekly poetry series
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Nossa série de poesia semanal
06:57
is transforming the lives of men
incarcerated at Dade Correctional,
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está transformando vidas de homens
encarcerados na Dade Correctional
07:00
and we're so excited to bring you all
the published work of one of those men,
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e estamos animados em mostrar o trabalho
publicado de um deles, Echo Martinez.
07:04
Echo Martinez.
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07:05
In the intro, he says ...
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Na introdução, ele diz...
07:07
AM: "Poetry for the people
is a sick pen's penicillin.
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AM: "Poesia para as pessoas
é a penicilina de uma caneta doente.
É uma chave para as algemas
dos sonhos de um prisioneiro.
07:10
It's a cuff key to a prisoner's dreams.
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07:13
The Molotov in the ink.
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O coquetel molotov na tinta.
07:15
It is knowledge, it is overstanding,
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É conhecimento, é exagero,
07:17
it is tasting ingredients
in everything you've been force-fed,
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é sentir o gosto dos ingredientes
de tudo que você engoliu à força,
07:20
but most of all, it's a reminder
that we all have voices,
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mas mais que tudo, é um lembrete
de que todos temos voz,
07:23
we all can be heard
even if we have to scream."
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todos podemos ser ouvidos
mesmo que tenhamos que gritar."
07:26
In 2018, we created our first annual
Maroon Poetry Festival
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Em 2018, criamos nosso primeiro
Maroon Poetry Festival
07:32
at the TACOLCY Center in Liberty City.
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no TACOLCY Center em Liberty City.
07:34
There, the Last Poets,
Sonia Sanchez, Emory Douglas
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Lá, os novos poetas,
Sonia Sanchez, Emory Douglas
07:39
and the late, great Ntozake Shange,
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e o grande Ntozake Shange,
07:41
performed and met
with local artists and organizers.
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se apresentaram e se encontraram
com artistas e organizadores locais.
07:46
We were able to honor them
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Pudemos honrá-los
07:48
for their commitment
to radical truth-telling.
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pelo seu compromisso
em dizer a verdade sempre.
07:51
And in addition to that,
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E ainda, transformamos um parque público
07:52
we transformed a public park
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07:55
into the physical manifestation
of the world we are organizing for.
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em uma manifestação física
do mundo que queremos criar.
08:00
Everything that we put into poetry,
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Tudo que colocamos na poesia,
08:02
we put into the art, into the creativity,
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colocamos na arte, na criatividade,
08:05
into the curated kids' games
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nos jogos infantis
08:07
and into the stunning stage design.
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e no deslumbrante design de palco.
PA: Nosso trabalho está em muitos
organizadores culturais
08:09
PA: Our work is in a long line
of cultural organizers
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08:12
that understood to use art
to animate a radical future.
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que entenderam como usar a arte
para dar vida ao futuro radical.
08:16
Artists like June Jordan,
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Artistas como June Jordan,
08:18
Emory Douglas
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Emory Douglas,
08:20
and Nina Simone.
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e Nina Simone.
08:21
They understood what many of us
are just now realizing --
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Eles entenderam o que muitos de nós
percebemos só agora:
08:24
that to get people to build the ship,
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para que as pessoas construam o barco,
é preciso dar a elas o desejo pelo mar;
08:26
you've got to get
them to long for the sea;
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08:28
that data rarely moves people,
but great art always does.
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que dados raramente movem pessoas,
mas a arte sempre move.
08:32
This understanding --
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Essa compreensão...
08:33
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
08:36
This understanding informed the thinking
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embasou o "Freedom Papers",
do projeto Dream Defenders',
08:38
behind the Dream Defenders'
"Freedom Papers,"
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08:40
a radical political vision
for the future of Florida
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uma visão política radical
para o futuro da Flórida
08:43
that talked about people over profits.
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que coloca as pessoas acima dos lucros.
08:46
Now, we could have done a policy paper.
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Podíamos ter feito um documento político.
08:48
Instead, artists and organizers
came together in their poetry
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Em vez disso, artistas e organizadores
se uniram em sua poesia
08:52
to create incredible murals
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para criar incríveis murais
e o vídeo que vemos aqui.
08:54
and did the video that we see behind us.
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08:56
We joined the political precision
of the Black Panther Party
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Nos juntamos ao Partido Pantera Negra
09:00
and the beautiful poetry
of Puerto Rican poet Martín Espada
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e à linda poesia do poeta
porto-riquenho Martin Espada
09:04
to bring our political vision to life.
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para dar vida à nossa visão política.
09:07
AM: Now thousands of Floridians
across age, race, gender and class
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AM: Hoje, milhares de floridenses
de toda idade, raça, gênero e classe
09:13
see the "Freedom Papers"
as a vision for the future of their lives.
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veem o "Freedom Papers"
como uma visão para o seu futuro.
09:17
For decades, our artists and our art
has been used to exploit,
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Por décadas, nossos artistas e nossa arte
foram usados para explorar,
09:23
lull, numb,
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alienar, entorpecer,
09:24
sell things to us
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vender coisas para nós
e desintegrar nossas comunidades,
09:26
and to displace our communities,
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09:28
but we believe
that the personal is political
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mas acreditamos que o individuo é político
09:33
and the heart is measured by what is done,
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e o coração é medido pelo que é feito,
09:37
not what one feels.
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não pelo que se sente.
09:38
And so art as organizing is not
just concerned with artists' intentions,
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Arte como organização não se preocupa
apenas com as intenções dos artistas,
09:43
but their actual impact.
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mas com o impacto real deles.
09:45
Great art is not a monologue.
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A grande arte não é um monólogo.
09:48
Great art is a dialogue
between the artist and the people.
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É um diálogo entre artistas e pessoas.
09:53
PA: Four years ago, this artist ...
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PA: Quatro anos atrás, essa artista...
09:56
AM: and this organizer ...
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AM: E esse organizador...
09:58
PA: found that we were not just a match.
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PA: descobriram que não eram só um casal.
10:01
AM: We were a mirror.
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AM: Éramos um espelho.
10:02
PA: Our worlds truly did collide,
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PA: Nossos mundos realmente colidiram,
10:05
and in many ways ...
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e, de muitas formas...
10:06
AM: they combined.
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AM: Eles se combinaram.
10:08
PA: We learned so much about movement,
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PA: Aprendemos muito sobre movimento,
10:10
about love and about art
at its most impactful:
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amor e arte no seu momento
mais impactante:
10:13
when it articulates the impossible
and when it erodes individualism,
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quando ela articula o impossível
e ultrapassa o individualismo,
10:18
when it plays into the gray places
of our black and white worlds,
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quando atua nos lugares cinzentos
do nosso mundo preto e branco,
10:22
when it does what our democracy does not,
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quando faz o que nossa democracia não faz,
10:25
when it reminds us
that we are not islands,
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quando nos lembra que não somos ilhas,
10:28
when it adorns every street
but Wall Street and Madison Avenue,
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quando enfeita todas as ruas,
menos Wall Street e Madison Avenue,
10:31
when it reminds us that we are not islands
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quando nos lembra que não somos ilhas,
10:34
and refuses to succumb to the numbness,
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e se recusa a sucumbir à alienação,
10:36
when it indicts empire
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quando acusa o império,
10:38
and inspires each
and every one of us to love,
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e inspira a cada um de nós a amar,
10:41
tell the truth
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a dizer a verdade
10:42
and make revolution irresistible.
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e a tornar a revolução irresistível.
10:46
AM: For the wizards --
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(Aplausos)
10:47
(Applause)
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10:51
AM: For the wizards
and ways of our defiance,
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AM: Para os magos e caminhos
da nossa provocação,
10:56
love-riot visions of our rising,
risen, raised selves.
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visões de um amor tumultuoso
de nosso ser que se ascende e cresce.
11:01
The overcoming grace --
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A graça vencedora,
11:03
fires, bitter tongues,
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os fogos, as línguas amargas,
11:04
wise as rickety rocking chairs,
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2739
sábias como frágeis cadeiras de balanço,
11:07
suffering salt and sand skies.
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sofrendo com céus de sal e areia.
11:10
Memories unshackled and shining stitches
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Memórias sem pontos e marcas brilhantes
de um coração marcado pelo estiramento.
11:14
on a stretch-marked heart.
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11:16
For the flowers that bloom
in midnight scars.
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3513
Para flores que nascem
nas cicatrizes da meia-noite.
11:20
How we suffered and sought a North Star.
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Como sofremos e procuramos
a Estrela do Norte.
11:23
When there was no light, we glowed.
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Quando não havia luz, nós brilhamos.
11:26
We sparked this rejoice,
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Acendemos essa alegria,
11:28
this righteous delight.
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1940
esse prazer honesto.
11:30
We have a cause to take joy in.
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Temos uma causa pela qual nos alegramos.
11:33
How we weathered and persisted,
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Resistimos e persistimos,
11:35
tenacious,
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insistentemente,
11:37
no stone unturned.
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Não sobrou pedra sobre pedra.
11:39
How we witnessed the horror of mankind
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Testemunhamos o horror da humanidade
11:42
and did not become
that which horrified us.
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e não nos tornamos
aquilo que nos horrorizou.
11:47
PA: Thank you.
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PA: Obrigado.
11:48
AM: Thank you.
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AM: Obrigada.
11:49
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Eloisa Zerneri
Reviewed by Maricene Crus

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Aja Monet - Poet, educator, cultural worker
Aja Monet is a Caribbean American poet, performer and educator born in Brooklyn, New York.

Why you should listen

Aja Monet started actively reading and reciting poetry in the New York City youth poetry/slam community in high school with an organization called Urban Word NYC. Her poems are lyrical, wise and courageous. She received her BA in liberal arts from Sarah Lawrence College in 2009 and her MFA in creative writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2011. While at Sarah Lawrence College, Monet was awarded the legendary Nuyorican Poet's Café Grand Slam title in 2007. She has been internationally recognized for combining her spellbound voice and vivid poetic imagery on stage. While in college, she used music and poetry to help organize urgent responses to natural disasters in New Orleans and later on in Haiti as well as local community issues. In 2015, she was invited by the Dream Defenders to be a part of a movement delegation to Palestine, and she has continued to work in collaboration with cultural workers and organizers to demonstrate radical solidarity. 

In 2018, Monet’s first full collection of poetry, my mother was a freedom fighter, was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work. She read the title poem of her collection at the national Women’s March on Washington DC in 2017 to commemorate women of the Diaspora. In 2012, she collaborated with poet/musician Saul Williams on the book Chorus, an anthem of a new generation of poets.

Monet currently lives in Little Haiti, Miami, where she is cofounder of Smoke Signals Studio, a collective dedicated to music, art, culture and organizing. In collaboration with Community Justice Project and inspired by poet June Jordan's revolutionary blueprint, Monet facilitates "Voices: Poetry for the People," a grassroots workshop for organizers and community leaders. In 2018, the workshop created the first annual Maroon Poetry Festival in Liberty City, Miami, to honor artists and cultural workers for their commitment to radical truth-telling. A lover of art, music, and poetry, Monet has continued to collaborate with artists across all genres including musicians Vijay Iyer, Samora Pinderhughes, Gerald Clayton and visual artists Carrie Mae Weems, Mike Schreiber and countless more. She volunteers at Dade Correctional Facility teaching "Poetry for the People" with an organization called Exchange for Change.

More profile about the speaker
Aja Monet | Speaker | TED.com
phillip agnew - Organizer, artist, cultural critic
The cofounder of Smoke Signals Studio, phillip agnew is a nationally recognized educator, strategist, trainer, speaker and cultural critic.

Why you should listen

phillip agnew cofounded the Dream Defenders in 2012 after the murder of Trayvon Martin and has been dubbed "one of this generation’s leading voices" and recognized by both EBONY magazine and The Root as one of the 100 most influential African Americans in the nation. He emerged as a national activist when he helped to organize students from FAMU, Florida State University and Tallahassee Community College in the creation of the Student Coalition for Justice, which was formed in response to the Martin Lee Anderson case. 

agnew is the cofounder of Miami's Smoke Signals Studio -- a community based radical artistic space -- with his partner, poet Aja Monet. Smoke Signals Studio is a space where those invested in using art, sound and music as a meeting place for transformation and liberation can come to create together.

In 2018, agnew transitioned from his role as codirector of the Dream Defenders and now travels the country teaching and organizing outside of the movement bubble. He has spoken at colleges and conferences around the country and was a featured speaker at TEDWomen 2018 and SXSW in 2019. agnew is member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and a Board Member for Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

More profile about the speaker
phillip agnew | Speaker | TED.com