"Two Harbors is an outpost on the isthmus of Catalina Island: two magical coves less than half a mile apart, full of wildlife. Though the spot is only 22 miles from Los Angeles, when I arrived I felt that I’d stepped 100 years into the past. Indeed, the buffalo who make a cameo in the poem are descended from a herd that was imported to the island in 1924 for a silent film Western."
"Along with participating in protests, openly discussing the effects of racism, and educating yourself, donating money (even in small amounts) to the right place is a key way you can support the mission of Black Lives Matter. At the time of this post, some organizations, protester bail funds, and memorial funds have asked that donations be redirected elsewhere due to the overwhelming number of contributions."
Resources for Supporting and Uplifiting the Black Community
LGBTQ Fund: This organization raises money to post bail for LGBTQIA+ people who have been jailed across the country. The LGBTQ Fund also provides referrals to medical, legal, and social services to those in need, in addition to "raising awareness of the epidemic of LGBTQ over-incarceration."
Know Your Rights Camp: Colin Kaepernick founded this organization that holds education seminars across the country for black and brown youth. Know Your Rights Camp teamed up with defense lawyers in the Minneapolis area to help provide legal resources for those in Minnesota in need right now.
Fair Fight: Fair Fight, founded by Stacey Abrams, promotes fair elections by bringing voter discrimination to light with education programs and election reform advocacy.
Poetry Daily stands with the Black community. We oppose racism, oppression, and police brutality. We will continue to amplify diverse voices in the poetry world. Black Lives Matter.
"Poetry is attention; poetry demands attention. We feel the breath of each word as it is given to us. And here is this stunning and vibrant poem by Brooks—a poet who is no longer alive writing about a person who is no longer alive. And yet as I read it, we are all very much here, present through Brooks’s attention to language and our careful listening."
