BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™
Vol 1 | Oct. 2022 - May 2023
LIAL L E S C NA
PART 1 of 2
A MULTIMEDIA EDUCATIONAL ! PLATFORM g n i m o o l B & ACY
LITER LITERARY
SO TIO ING O N EM EAR L
HI
ST
OR
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SOCIAL JUSTICE GIRLS & WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
ART CREATION
SCIENCE & ECOLOGY COMMUNITY PARTNER
DEI
“Poetry advances the quality of life of citizenry when organized as a precious power tool.” – Semaj Brown
TABLE OF CONTENTS About Semaj Brown
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About Black Dandelion
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Black Dandelion Poem
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Black Dandelion: Convergent Voice™
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On Literacy & the Literary Black Dandelion: Convergent Voice™
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On Social, Emotional, Learning (SEL) Black Dandelion: Convergent Voice™
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On Science & Ecology Black Dandelion: Convergent Voice™
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On Girls & Women Empowerment Black Dandelion: Convergent Voice™
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On History Black Dandelion: Convergent Voice™
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Academy Letters Black Dandelion Poem Progression
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In Gratitude
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About Semaj Brown “Poetry advances the quality of life of citizenry when organized as a precious power tool...” -Semaj Brown
Semaj Brown is Flint, Michigan’s inaugural Poet Laureate, and the recipient of the prestigious Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship award, 2021. Ms. Brown is the author of the poetry/prose memoir, “Bleeding Fire! Tap the Eternal Spring of Regenerative Light,” Broadside Lotus Press, 2019. Black Enterprise.com twice noted the global recognition of the poet laureate’s “Black Dandelion” poem: https://www.blackenterprise.com/att-recognizes-the-poem-black-dandelion-anda-new-multimedia-platform-is-born/ and https://www.blackenterprise.com/innovative-transformative-black-dandelionconvergent-voicechanges-the-literacy-game/. The Dear Poet Project, Academy of American Poets, distributed the poem, "Black Dandelion globally, https://poets.org/dear-semaj-brown-2022. Additionally, AT&T, Dream in Black African American Futures Afro- futuristic platform licensed a powerful audio excerpt of “Black Dandelion” for a national television commercial in celebration of Black generational excellence. Semaj is a daughter of Detroit, born and raised, a graduate of Cass Technical High School, and Wayne State University in Biological Sciences. She is a product of next generation Broadside Press legacy poets: Dudley Randall, Sonia Sanchez, Gwendolyn Brooks, Haki Madhubuti, Audre Lorde and on. However, for the past two decades, Semaj Brown has been a proud, self-proclaimed Flintstone, BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™
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“Flintstone by choice,” residing with her husband, James Brown, MD, working diligently, and tirelessly in community in Flint, Michigan. In addition to being a noted poet, essayist, dramatist, and university lecturer, Ms. Brown is an imaginative educator, a thought leader, who deconstructs obsolete paradigms while synthesizing new philosophies, building educational installations in museums, theatrical productions, Boys and Girls Clubs, libraries, and classrooms. According to Professor Otrude Moyo, PhD, Director of Department of Social Work, University of Indiana, when commenting about Semaj Brown, “…You are a gift in regenerating philosophies and systems that embrace our wholeness.” Ms. Brown was invited to be the Keynote Lunch speaker at the Michigan Council Teachers of English, MCTE, Centennial Conference in Lansing, Michigan, October 2022 in which the founder/creator launched the multimedia youth platform, BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE, ™ BDCV resulting in a standing ovation. BDCV derives from her innovation in language arts, PSL/POETRY AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: THE SEMAJIAN METHOD. ™ This futuristic pedagogy utilizes “Applied Poetry” as an integrative, reflexive technology to amplify literacy capacity, improve skill-based learning, and heighten critical thinking. Development of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is emphasized as well as cognitive expansion across disciplines of science and art. Ms. Brown is a sought-after speaker, a multidisciplinary creative, and cofounder along with her husband, James Brown, MD of Health Collectors™ LLC, and The Planted Kingdom Project. ™ Her Flint civic initiative is the Poetry Pod Project (P3) where she established: Virtual Poetry Galleries, Flint Reads Poetry initiative, and highlights of emerging literary artists in her Flint Courier News Column, “Poetry Confessions, Teatime with the Poet Laureate.” Ms. Brown engaged ekphratic writing classes in collaboration with Mott Warsh Collection at Freeman Elementary, and more. She is a former president of The Pierians-Flint Chapter, a national arts organization; also, a member of Zeta Beta Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Semaj Brown is the VISITING ARTIST at the Venerable FLINT INSTITUTE of ARTS SCHOOL Spring and Summer, 2023. Her new poetry book, “Walking Rivers” is slated for publication on Wayne State University Press, 2024. For additional information, please visit website: https://semajbrown.com
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About BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ and PSL/ POETRY AS A SECOND LANGUAGE™ The multimedia youth platform, BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ (BDCV) derives from a new innovation in the learning arts. PSL / POETRY AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: THE SEMAJIAN METHOD™ is an intergenerational, futuristic platform that utilizes "applied poetry" as an integrative tool. The platform amplifies literacy capacity, improves skill-based learning, and heightens critical thinking, Social Emotional Learning (SEL), and cognitive expansion across disparate disciplines of science and art. ABOUT THE POEM Raked by Innocence, the narrative voice of the poem is a four-year old little Black girl who recollects the turmoil of the Civil Rights era. She associates discrimination and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with the “mow down” of dandelions, her beloved flowers. AT&T & BLACK DANDELION POEM There is no doubt the world will be looking for black dandelions now that the corporation AT&T, in a search, found the video of Flint, Michigan Poet Laureate, Semaj Brown reading her “Black Dandelion” poem on her website. An excerpt of the audio recording of the poem highlights a one-minute commercial of the acclaimed Dream In Black, Black Future Makers Afrofuturistic Lifestyle platform, and is airing nationally on television and throughout social media. THE ACADEMY OF AMERICAN POETS & BLACK DANDELION POEM The Academy of American Poets distributed a video of poet laureate fellow, Semaj Brown reading her poem, “Black Dandelion” to middle and high school students. The poet laureate received letters from youth from across United States and world via the Dear Poet project. The letters represented a range of ethnicities: Asian, Armenian, Black, White, and more. Exchanges can be read on the Dear Semaj Brown page. bit.ly/3yPbGfj.
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Age four— Witnessed my first mow down Twinkling ground stars, cut by a murderous lawn mower Feeling the blade, I fell, curled like a snail in grief
12 full moons folded into Spring — Perennial promises prevailed Bees celebrated return of dandelions in a skirt of twirling, yellow bliss
Flowering bouffant mirrored my spiky little afro Jagged edged “lion’s tooth” leaves paid tribute to my snag-a-tooth smile Me and my freedom fighting flowers frolicked to survive the Scissoring, Up-digging, Poisoning Warning Signs hovered like low hanging clouds: No Blooming Allowed! Blossoms Will be Prosecuted! These brave plants grew just for me Grew in spite of a society that favored a monochromatic landscape 1965— Mr. Brother Malcolm X was assassinated, big word for a prekindergartner. I was convinced he must have been a dandelion, Reverend King too, and the Johnson boy who lived one turn down the street, that way. The Johnson boy was shot by the police for growing in a monochromatic landscape.
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Training Wheels Off—Bike riding across insecure cement, I peddled the bumpy path waving solidarity to each surviving, sunburst noggin, each fulfilling the promise to ornament lawns and flourish souls with lemon drop hope Dandelions bare art of endurance and escape transforming into pearl puffs floating with ephemeral intention carrying the spirit of the weed.
13 Full moons faded into July — “I am a proud weed!” Yes, I declared that shocking proclamation standing in the pulpit on Youth Sunday Vernon Chapel A.M.E. Church
I added to my speech on David and Goliath 33. my impromptu improvisation of Dandelion Dogma: “We are Black Dandelions who will NEVER be destroyed. We grow the power of goodness for generations into the future!” I yet remember the hat framed faces of the pious, amused and mortified.
All Rights Reserved. Library of Congress, No part of this literature can be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from representing company Health Collectors™ LLC except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
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“We are Black Dandelions We grow the power of Goodness for Generations INTO THE FUTURE” -Semaj Brown As heard in AT&T Dream in Black, Black Future Makers Afrofuturistic Lifestyle National TV Commercial BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™
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on LITERACY & THE LITERARY BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ ON LITERACY & THE LITERARY
Students Respond to "Black Dandelion" poem with Poetry From the Pedagogy PSL/ POETRY AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: THE SEMAJIAN METHOD™ passcode to Literacy A recent event held at the Flint Public Library, The Community-Wide Convergent Voice Workshop, was inspired by “Black Dandelion.” The following poems were written by students who utilized the BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ platform.
POETRY FROM THE STUDENTS AT ECOLE KONOURA, TOGO WEST AFRICA, 6th GRADE BLACK DANDELION COME HOME TO ME Director /Founder Amevi Ahocou TOGO, WEST AFRICA Black Dandelion come home to me. Black Dandelion it is time. Around the corner return to me.
Director Amevi Ahoucou with students of a school in Togo, West Africa.
Black Dandelion we shall one soon. Black Dandelion healed my soul in spring. Black Dandelion catch me. Black Dandelion I remember you. BLACK Dandelion I shall love you forever.
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ ON LITERACY & THE LITERARY
POETRY FROM THE STUDENTS AT GREATER HEIGHTS ACADEMY
EARTH’S DANDELIONS Poem by Johnice Taylor - 6th Grade Greater Heights Academy, Flint Michigan U.S.A Nurturing the Earth Helps us take care of our nature The more we disregard our actions The more dandelions, trees, and grass Grow no more
FLINT IS A DANDELION
Johnice Taylor– 6th Grader
Poem by Christian Blake - 6th Grade Greater Heights Academy, Flint Michigan U.S.A Flint can be a good place But it can have some people who act really bad I believe if we work together We can fix this place up I don’t like all the destroyed houses and buildings I want to stop all the killings and fightings Together we can make it a metropolitan Flint is a dandelion We destroy dandelions by cutting them down But they’re not gone It regrows and rebuilds itself The seeds work together The seeds are us So if we work together We can do this! BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™
Christian Blake – 6th Grader
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POETRY FROM THE STUDENTS AT GRAND BLANC WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL These students responded to a specific quote from the poem, "Black Dandelion."
Quote “We are Black Dandelions, we Grow the Power of Goodness for Generations into the Future!” – Semaj Brown Poem by Miracle Welch - 7th Grade Grand Blanc West Middle School, Grand Blanc Michigan U.S.A Black is beautiful. Black is dark. Black is scary. Black is the color you see everyday. But black can’t be seen. BLACK IS THE FUTURE! We know that color of skin doesn’t define us. But it defined those people who were killed. The people who suffered the burn of the bus in May 20, 1961. The people that made the Future for me AND YOU! They say that police are supposed to protect and be brave. But were they scared of a Black man walking? Or just shot him down cause the police felt empowered ? Or told Black women that they can´t be allowed in restaurants, after taking care of white people´s children, and leaving her kids that haven’t eaten in days. Black is taking for granted. Black is defined as adsorption of light. Black can be nice. Black can be funny.
BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™
Miracle Welch– 7th Grader
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ ON LITERACY & THE LITERARY
BLACK CAN BE THE SOLUTION TO EVERYTHING! But still black is let down into the dark. The dark is that what you see? Or is it a whole Black family? Black is being beat and being strung by the neck. BUT BLACK IS STILL HERE! ¨We are Black Dandelions, we grow the power of Goodness for generations into the Future!¨
Quote “Perennial. Promises. Prevailed” – Semaj Brown Poem by Jada Timms - 7th Grade Grand Blanc West Middle School, Grand Blanc Michigan U.S.A Everyone has a past. But we grow back. We all want to go to BLACK! But why don’t we go to the past? Do we hope it’s forgotten? Everyone has had a broken promise. Do we believe in second chances? Words are more than they seem. People want to put us in our places but… WE RISE. This short writing means something more than what it seems.
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Jada Timms– 7th Grader
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ ON LITERACY & THE LITERARY
High School Senior, Crystal diagrams “Black Dandelion” as an Afrofuturistic Analysis from the Classroom of Teacher Carrie Mattern, Carmen-Ainsworth High School:
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ ON LITERACY & THE LITERARY
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“…Warning Signs hovered like low hanging clouds: No Blooming Allowed! Blossoms Will be Prosecuted!” - Semaj Brown
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on SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ ON SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL)
BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE platform Utilized to Teach Social Emotional Learning (SEL) SOCIAL COMPETENCE Social competence refers to one’s ability to make positive contributions to their community and society, and their ability to cooperate well with others.
EMOTIONAL COMPETENCE Emotional competence refers to one’s ability to identify and understand their emotions and how those emotions can impact their thoughts behaviors, and attitude. It involves understanding that emotions can be processed so one can remain calm, focused and successful even in the face of negative feelings.
Karen Utsey Peckham Career Academy Administrator/ Educator “Black Dandelion means a great deal to our students here at Peckham Career Academy. When the poem was introduced to our students, it was exactly at the same time when our entire student body and staff lost one of our bright lights. We lost a student to gun violence. Willie Smith was the student that we lost, and he is our Black Dandelion the poem is about a four year old little girl and her experiences during the Civil Rights movement and how dandelions are mowed down and how that correlates to the people that were lost to violence during the Civil Rights movement. And it transcends into what we experience here collectively as a family at Peckham Career Academy. So our students use that, use their sadness. It was channeled through their artwork, their expressions of love and admiration and sadness as a result of what they experienced. They used all that to create again, they created artwork. And it was therapeutic, and we are grateful for it. So that is what Black Dandelion meant to us. Again, it was therapeutic and it was a labor of love for all of us.” BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ ON SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL)
ARTWORK FROM THE STUDENTS AT PECKHAM CAREER ACADEMY
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“…Bees celebrated dandelions in a skirt of twirling yellow bliss…” - Semaj Brown
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on Science & Ecology BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ ON SCIENCE & ECOLOGY
Black Dandelion Poem Utilized to Teach Food Chain during Bee Season in Togo, West Africa
Amevi Ahocou Founder/Director of Ecole Konoura Togo West Africa “Good evening,
Black Dandelion. What a project! We love it here at the Konoura. Thank you, Mrs. Semaj Brown so much for including us in your project, what an honor. We have studied Black Dandelion here in Konoura; we enjoyed this project. We looked at it from so many different perspectives.
The staff, we discussed how you cannot kill Black Dandelion. That Dandelion is so strong, so strong, it cannot be killed, generation after generation, it will keep reproducing. We talked about how the seeds fall from the black dandelion to reproduce. We decided to take that approach, introducing it to our children in the form of science. The wind was between the seasons here. Our season is now for the black seed. This is the season between, um uh between the rainy season and the dry season. It is bee season! Therefore, we decided to explore bees and flowers.
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ ON SCIENCE & ECOLOGY
As you will see in the video, the Dandelion is the flower the bees are feeding off from so the bees might go and reproduce the honey. This was our introduction to our students. All aspects of science we covered. The children came up with their own skit. Everything that you see in the video. The children did it themselves. They planned how they would dress. Did you see the yellow Book bag? I love the book bag. That's the seeds flying all over from the dandelions. You cannot kill Dandelions you cannot kill, especially black Dandelion, cannot be killed. It can only be reproduced. Our Children loved it. I love it myself. I love what the The children came up with; and, it was a perfect match to incorporate what is going on in their natural lives, bee season! I love those children. Thank you again, for inviting us and including us in your project. Thank you so much.”
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ ON SCIENCE & ECOLOGY
ARTWORK FROM STUDENTS AT ECOLE KONOURA, TOGO WEST AFRICA STUDY THE ANATOMY OF THE BEE
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“...Yes, I declared that shocking proclamation standing in the pulpit on Youth Sunday...” - Semaj Brown BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™
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on Girls & Women Empowerment BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ ON GIRLS & WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT
BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ Celebrates Women’s History Month 2023 BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ Girls and Women Empowerment is a selfactualization program. It is thought changing, new pattern making, accountability emanating from the pedagogy PSL/ Poetry AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: THE SEMAJIAN METHOD™. From the imaginative framework TiSiWiDiBi: Think it, See it, Write it, Do it, Be it, Semaj Brown designs a social and personal comprehensive program to eradicate emotional weight, complete with courses, a Flight Manual, Declaration of Independent Flight, A Bill of Rights for Bees, Butterflies, Dandelions, Girls and Women.
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ ON GIRLS & WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT
Sunanda Samaddar Carrado, PHD BDCV Panelist Essay I am Dr. Sunanda Samaddar Corrado and I have been a close friend, a collaborating artist and a consultant for Mrs. Semaj Brown for over 20 years. My doctorate in Comparative International Education (CIE) has made me familiar with different educational policies, spaces and practices around the globe, from elite education environments to the needs of displaced communities of war and poverty. I have extensive experience in organizing platforms that address diversity and change in educational policy. I have organized a congressional debate for the historical 13th district, as well as a panel to address the unique possibilities of Parochiaide to address the recent decisions of the US Supreme Court in allowing public funds to be used for parochial education. I have been a researcher for the Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL) authoring the most extensive timeline of education for the city of Detroit, which will be published online in an interactive format. I co-host a show called the Sisterhood on a subscription based platform, the Urban Information Network (UIN). I have been a board member for various organizations including the Highland Park Chamber of Commerce, as the chair of their education committee and Refuge for Nations, a non-profit dedicated to creating entrepreneurial spaces for immigrant women from their homes. As adjunct professor of anthropology, I continue to chair the Bangladeshi Cultural Club at Wayne County Community College District. I have consulted for various educational projects including Flint’s Poet Laureate, Semaj Brown’s literacy advocacy program based on her Semajian Method. Dandelion Garden: A Walk though Convergent Consciousness (Essay Excerpt)
In celebration of Women’s History month, I chose to explore the allegory of the Black Dandelion. Specifically, I wanted to reflect together about how a flower can also exist as a weed.
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ ON GIRLS & WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT Immediately, my mind begins to circle: What is women’s history? What does it look like? If you were to ask the same question in school, the idea splinters further: there is feminist history, theories of performativity, queer theory etc. If you go to seminary or take an African American lit class, you may finally stumble across Womanism. So let’s drop what we think is familiar, and I ask the question, at a much later stage in my own life, Is womanist history not a Black Dandelion?
The term ‘womanist’ was first introduced by author and activist, Alice Walker, in her 1982 publication In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens: Womanist Prose. Since then, literary scholars have begun to conjure a voice from the past, between the shores of memory and amnesia, humiliation and triumph, a truth in the form of ghosts and goblins. Womanism is rooted in the history and everyday experiences of Black women. Womanism seeks to explore the imbalance between people and nature, reconciling human conflict with the spiritual dimension of our collective immortality.
Afterall, Black women experience more violence, for lower pay. Sisters who are fetishized objects of repressed desires who find little reflection of their own realities in the media and political representations. Because mainstream feminism does not address racism or desire, a parallel, womanist movement formed to acknowledge black women’s struggle for humanity - for themselves, their children, their lovers and their brothers. Just as Christ’s body was shared and consumed, is the Black woman’s blood not wine? Is the wafer offered not an issue of her own flesh?
Semaj Brown’s Black Dandelion is very much reminiscent of - and harnessed to - the same mutilation, pain and disembodiment of the Black Woman’s body even as she celebrates the triumph of the Black Dandelion’s beauty and her rich botanical treasures.
What is in a name? White or Black? What if a flower were to be referred to as a weed? And why is this flower sentenced to such BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ ON GIRLS & WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT
derision? Is it because of the Black Dandelion’s unrelenting spirit or is it because of her unconscious intrusion into our collective Conscience? How does her longing, to return to where she had once and will always belong, infect me with such melancholy? Even as Alice Walker describes her mother’s gardens as the blossoming sieve through which she experienced an impoverished childhood: she continues to describe every Black woman’s experience in viscerally straggled terms. A double consciousness of sorts, like a square circle, even as Ms. Walker’s mother struggled, she created without force of effort. Ms. Walker declares that her mother was not a saint, but in fact an artist with intuit beauty made manifest in bleakness. Alice Walker’s mother gave life to gardens in the gallows, even as she birthed, harvested, scrubbed and swept, quilted, sewn, or cooked, she created. Alice Walker’s mother was never a saint, she was always the Creator. Similarly, Semaj Brown writes: Dandelions bare art of Endurance and escape Transforming into pearl puffs Floating with ephemeral intention Carrying the spirit of the weed (lines 23-27). And how do we mean the spirit of the weed? Is the dandelion not a flower? What is this transformation? What is the “spirit of the weed”? At the beginning, did the poet not liken the flower to her four year old narrator? Flowering bouffant mirrored my spikey little afro Jagged edged “lion’s tooth” leaves paid tribute to my snag-a-tooth smile (lines 67) (Continue reading this compelling essay on page 49 of this booklet.)
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“...1965— Mr. Brother Malcolm X was assassinated, big word for a pre-kindergartner. I was convinced he must have been a dandelion, Reverend King too...” - Semaj Brown
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE ON HISTORY
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HISTORY BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ ON HISTORY
BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ poem Utilized to Teach History in the First African American History Class in Grand Blanc Middle School
Mary Kennedy-Jacob Grand Blanc West Middle School Black History, BH365, English Language Arts Educator
1. How did find out about Black Dandelion: Convergent Voice BDCV?
I walk my dog regularly in my Southside neighborhood in Flint. One of the good things to come out of Covid was I met so many wonderful neighbors. Mrs. Janet Cameron, a retired, English teacher is one of the kind souls I connected with during Covid. Being an ELA teacher myself, she always inquires about my classroom and students. Further, she knew that I was teaching the first Black History class K-8 in Grand Blanc Schools. In the Fall, she introduced me to your Black Dandelion Convergent Voice program. And provided me with all of your resources. She is the sweetest of people and her desire to keep teaching/informing folk is a character trait I hope to carry beyond my classroom.
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2. What were the memorable points of engagement from the students?
My students like myself were unaware that there was First Female Black Poet Laurette in Flint. So it felt great to share this historymaking moment with them. We have a segment in the class called Little Known Black History Facts and it is empowering to share a local and recent history as well as the past. After we engaged in reading and breaking down the poem I offered a choice to participate in the convergent voice part. We took several days to allow kids to find an authentic voice to share. A memorable moment that I recall was when another teacher reached out saying Miracle shared her poem with her. She was so moved by the writing she emailed me to express her awe of Miracle's thoughtprovoking and moving writing.
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3. What were your thoughts about the poem, and how a singular poem generates lessons across the curriculum?
The poem resonated with me. According to the text, the protagonist is a year older than me, so my first thought was how I lived part of this history and although I was three at the time of MLK's assassination I now can see how some of my early years were informed by this time period although I did not make all these connections until I was older, more informed and through texts like the Black Dandelion poem. Second, in addition to my own learning, I find this type of text is a great way to connect with American history. In our Black History 365 class, we have had much learning on the joys, struggles, accomplishments, growth, and setbacks regarding Black history in the United States. I think my students are able to connect to poetry on another level and it offers a less intimidating way to share history.
4. How did BDCV enhance the historic happening of being the first teacher to teach the first Black History class in the Grand Blanc school system?
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ ON HISTORY
This lesson blended well with the topics we were already learning. Although I had the information for BDCV in the Fall I waited until we hit this specific time frame in history to engage in this project. It was helpful to have the students have prior knowledge before as well the poem was able to reinforce our learning. Further, having our student work showcased on a bigger scale ( The Flint Courier) also informs our administrators as well as parents about our learning. Last, just like our class is making history in Grand Blanc our BDCV experience is highlighting/documenting our journey in a positive way.
5. Please write freely about the process, and possibilities you might imagine.
I would definitely continue to use the Black Dandelion poem in the future. In fact, perhaps next year I would use it in all of my ELA classes. And if you continue to host workshops at FPL I would encourage my writers to join me. I was moved by your panel of speakers at my first workshop. I have many creative writers that would benefit from that type of one-to-one exposure. Now that we have connected I can see all the possibilities for publication of my student's work to having important guest speakers such as yourself come in and speak to my students. Your historical journey fits right in line with what I want all of my students to understand and that is that history is alive and we are all making it together.
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ - MEDIA
“… I am a Proud Weed…” - Semaj Brown
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BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ – ACADEMY LETTERS
DEAR POET 2022 (Academy of American Poets)
Every National Poetry Month the Academy of American Poets present DEAR POET, a multimedia education project that invites young people in grades five through twelve to write letters in response to poems written and read by award-winning poets, including poets who serve on the Academy of American Poets Board of Chancellors and who have received our Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowships.
SEMAJ BROWN READS, “BLACK DANDELION” LINK TO SEMAJ’S PERSONAL YOUTUBE LINK TO “DEAR SEMAJ BROWN 2022” ACADEMY PAGE
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DEAR POET 2022 | STUDENT RESPONSE TO POEM “BLACK DANDELION”
LETTER 1 Dear Ms. Semaj Brown,
My name is Beckett, and I am currently a high school freshman from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I am writing to you because I read your poem, “Black Dandelion”, and was really moved. I love the way you used events from throughout your life and weaved them into your beautiful poem. I also love how you use plants and subsequently use Dandelions and weeds as a metaphor. Your poem was just beautiful and so powerful to me. I loved how you used Dandelions in your poem. I thought it was a great way of signifying something that is so beautiful and vibrant, yet is punished for simply existing. The line “Dandelions bare art of endurance and escape transforming into pearl puffs floating with ephemeral intention carrying the spirit of the weed,” resonated with me particularly because I’ve always found it very interesting that a “weed” can grow almost anywhere, even when there’s a huge concrete slab slapped on top of its natural habitat. It’s almost like even though there’s a huge attempt to block or sound out weeds, they always persevere and end up on top in the end. I think this is why I have always kind of admired them in the back of my head. This is much like society, throughout history many groups of people have attempted to silence and suppress them. Your poem, though about the struggles African-Americans face, really reminded me of my maternal great-grandfather's story. He was born in Armenia in the early 1900s, and not even before reaching adolescence, was put through a genocide. His father was taken away by Turkish forces and killed, and he and the rest of his family were forced to flee. The Turkish forces tried to exterminate, in their eyes, the Armenians, who are the dandelions in this story. They were stripped of everything, their nationality, belongings, friends, family, and almost even their lives. He arrived in America dirt poor and had to start anew in the city of Boston. He worked hard enough to give his children and grandchildren a good life and was always a thoughtful and caring person, despite all that he had been put through in his life. It is still such a recent and ongoing set of events, with the United States only recognizing the Armenian Genocide last year. And, Turkey, the perpetrator of this evil still hasn’t even recognized it and there’s a movement saying that Armenians are lying about the genocide. This really angered me because my own country made me feel like a “weed” and a “dandelion” and people don’t even believe it which is infuriating. Some questions that I have for you are how did you come up with the metaphor of the Dandelion? Was it a thought that came to you while writing? Or was it even a feeling in the very back of your head that you’ve had for a while? Also, do you still feel like a dandelion? I have always liked poetry. I know that’s not a particularly popular statement from someone of my age, but it is true. I love the simplicity yet depth in thought and meaning that poetry can take on. Your poem made me see poetry in a new light. Your poem was a brilliant combination of metaphors, events, story, and meaning. This is what made your poem so powerful to me.
Sincerely, Beckett
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DEAR POET 2022 | STUDENT RESPONSE TO POEM “BLACK DANDELION”
LETTER 2 Dear Semaj Brown,
My name is Adithi, and I am currently a ninth grader in Troy, Michigan. I aspire to make contributions in the world of science, but another one of my developing interests lies within the great works of literature. I admire poetry specifically because it is unique to the poet, but it can also bring people together through the message of the poem. Your work, “Black Dandelion,” struck a chord with me because it reminded me of my culture and my family – two of the most important aspects of my life. I try my best every day to reconnect with my authentic Indian culture and with my family’s support and love I can make progress every day. Your use of the dandelion as a symbol was an eye-catching and powerful one because the connection between the dandelion and the suffering of the oppressed holds a strong bond. One detail that helps form this connection was, “Dandelions bare art of/endurance and escape/transforming into pearl puffs/floating with ephemeral intention/carrying the spirit of the weed” (25-29). I admired how you created the idea of the spirit of the weed, and how it connects with the oppressed. My descendants were affected by the actions of people with greed and blind ambition. They were massacred in their own lands and put to death for fighting for their human rights. This line resonates with me, Indian people, African American people, and all people who are victims of oppression. Another aspect of your poem that I found interesting was the subtle hint of the support from the people around you. As you know, no celebrated figure in history contributed to the cause that they believed in without the support of their families and their communities. A line that caught my eye was, “No Blooming Allowed; Blossoms Will be Persecuted/These brave plants grew just for me” (11-12). This part of the text highlights the contributions that the people around us make for the same cause. It is easy to forget about the sacrifices that have been made in the past, the sacrifices being made currently, and the suffering that may come because of the fight against oppression. The love that my family gives me is a crucial aspect that helps me get up at 5:30 every morning to go to school. Their love shows me the importance of learning and making discoveries. They show me that because the world uses the chains of expectations to make us feel weak, we need to use the fire inside of our hearts to break free of that restraint. “Black Dandelion” truly opened my perspective of the emotions and feelings of the oppressed through the comparison of everyday objects, such as lawnmowers. The end left me wondering what amused and mortified you about the “hat framed faces of the pious.” Is it that many people with good intentions are influenced by others with the intention to harm? Thank you for writing such a delightful and compelling poem. You have truly shown me the power of passion and perseverance – the power of the weed! Sincerely, Adithi
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Black Dandelion: BLOOMING POEM PROGRESSION
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IN GRATITUDE Dear Beautiful People, Gratitude is my heart. To the Dreamers, and the dreamless, to the faithful and the faithless, to those who know, and to those who seek, to those who turn things up downside in, and to those who carry tradition in gnarled knuckles... Poetry is my 2nd language, spiritual dialect, way of being; it is a cultural life raft for our community— the golden root tip of blood, of bones, and that combustible joy ignited in the spine of fire laughter. Thank you for accepting my offerings, as my service is my practice. To my family, friends, fans, supporters, and collaborators, to the organizations, and institutions that have engaged my integrative, interdisciplinary, literary /literacy civic art throughout the years: The Academy of American Poets; Pierians-Flint Chapter, Inc; Zeta Beta Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc; Flint Institute of Arts Art School; The “New” McCree Theatre; to my family, friends, fans, supporters, collaborators, I thank you ALL. I extend unyielding love and appreciation to my ever supportive, beloved husband, James Brown, M.D. Special Thanks to: The Panelists: Darolyn Brown, English Language Arts Consultant to BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™; Sunanda Samaddar Carrado, PhD, Consultant to PSL/POETRY AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: THE SEMAJIAN METHOD™; Sonya Pouncy, and Edith Withey The Educators: Carrie Mattern, English Language Arts Teacher, Pres-Elect of Michigan Council of Teachers of English MCTE, Carmen Ainsworth High School; Karen Utsey, Administrator/Teacher, Peckham Career Academy; Richard Thompson, Principle/Superintendent, Greater Heights Academy; Davina Whitaker, 6th grade Teacher, Holmes STEM; Amevi Ahocou, Founder/Director, Ecole Konoura, Togo Africa; Mary Kennedy-Jacob, English Language Arts Teacher, West Grand Blanc Middle School The Health Collectors LLC Team: James Brown, MD, Co-founder; Amanda Thomason, Graphic Designer; Susan M. Kornfield, Legal Counsel; Pam Purifoy, PRPRoMedia; Emily O’Boyle, Documentarian; Linda Richardson, Project Advisor
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“Poetry advances the quality of life of citizenry when organized as a precious power tool.” -Semaj Brown
SEMAJ BROWN Flint, Michigan's Inaugural Poet Laureate Academy of American Poets Poets Laureate Fellow, 2021
CONTACT AND CONNECT EMAIL: submit@blackdandelion.org WEBSITE: www.semajbrown.com BLACK DANDELION PAGE : www.semajbrown.com/ black-dandelion/ poets.org/poet/semaj-brown