Ewuare Osayande

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Ewuare X. Osayande is an African American poet, political activist, author and lecturer. He is the founder of Talking Drum Communications, co-founder and director of POWER (People Organized Working to Eradicate Racism), and creator of Project ONUS: Redefining Black Manhood. He has written 14 books and given more than 500 lectures in locations ranging from prisons to Harvard University.

1 Bio
2 Achievements, Awards & Honors
3 Publications
4 Poems and Essays in Other Publications
5 References
6 External Links

[edit] Bio

Ewuare X. Osayande was born in Camden, New Jersey. His career as an activist and organizer took off while he was still a student at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Following the 1991 shooting of Phillip Pannell Jr., a 14-year-old African American shot by a white policeman in Teaneck, New Jersey, Osayande organized protests and raised awareness about racially-motivated police brutality.¹ For over a decade, he has continued to analyze American culture and to educate people of all races about the history and current reality of racism.

This work continues with POWER, an organization Osayande co-founded with Jacqui Simmons. POWER offers anti-racist workshops including "Resisting Racism I: Understanding Race/Racism," "Resisting Racism II: Self-Determination & Accountability," "People of Color Empowerment," and "Battle for the Ballot." These educational programs are all modeled upon the theories of anti-racist activist Wanda Lofton (1950-2002).²

Early in Osayande's career as a writer, Gwendolyn Brooks met him, read his poetry, and encouraged him to keep writing, to self-promote, and to get published. As a result, Osayande founded Talking Drum Communications in order to publish his own books.³ He is a prolific author, having produced 14 books in 16 years. Osayande is still appreciated and supported by world-renowned authors in the African American canon: in 2007, Amiri Baraka wrote the introduction to Blood Luxury.⁴

[edit] Achievements, Awards & Honors

(2006) Walt Whitman Arts Center's Vanguard Writer's Award

(2005) Keynote Speaker, The Damascus Road Anti-Racism Conference

(2005) Keynote Speaker, The Men Stopping Violence National Conference

(2004) Keynote Speaker, The Global Climate Control Conference at Harvard University

(2002-2004) First Poet-in-Residence, African American Studies Program, Rutgers University

(2000-2003) National Coordinator, Black Radical Congress "Education Not Incarceration" campaign

[edit] Publications

(2008). Mysogyny & the Emcee: Sex, Race & Hip Hop

(2006). Art at War: Revolutionary Art Against Cultural Imperialism

(2005). Blood Luxury

(2005). Free the Land: Revisioning Environmentalism

(2004). Are White Christians Anti-Racist, or do They Just Want to be Forgiven

(2003). Black Anti-Ballistic Missives: Resisting War/Resisting Racism

(2001). 9/11: Riots in the Sky

(2001). Caught at the Crossroads Without a Map

(2000). Crucifixions in the Street: Race, Rap & Religion

(1999). So the Spoken Word Won't Be Broken: The Politics of the New Black Poetry

(1997). Gangsta Rap is Dead

(1996). Akoben: A Call to Action, Responding to the Ramifications of Racism in Black America

(1993). Kwanzaa: A Biblical Perspective (co-authored with J.E. Price)

(1992). Malcolm X: The Man or the Image

[edit] Poems and Essays in Other Publications

(2007). Men Speak Out: Profeminist Views on Gender, Sex and Power

(2007). The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex

(2007). This Poem is Sponsored By: A Collection of Critical Poetry by Corporate Watch

(2007). What Lies Beneath: Katrina, Race and the State of the Nation

(2003). "War Is the Enemy of the Poor: King Spoke the Truth About War. We Must Do the Same Today." The Other Side January 1, 2003. Vol 39; Issue 1. Page 36 (3).

[edit] References

1. Stanton, Junious R. "Ewuare Osayande Celebrates Ten Years of Activism." ChickenBones: A Journal For Literary & Artistic African-American Themes. Retrieved on 2008-02-12.

2. Official WebsiteRetrieved on 2008-02-12.

3. Stanton, Junious R. "Ewuare Osayande Celebrates Ten Years of Activism." ChickenBones: A Journal For Literary & Artistic African-American Themes. Retrieved on 2008-02-12.

4. Official Website Retrieved on 2008-02-12.