We wholeheartedly stand with all those fighting for justice in this critical moment.

We are writers, readers, and audiences of poetry and poets. We open our hearts and minds, as well as our space, to those poets engaged in that sacred endeavor. We are committed to taking back the language and celebrating powerful words to amplify the message that Black lives matter.

At Coastside Poetry, we believe in poetry. It is powerful, is the language of the heart and of the soul. We believe poetry can be a tool for change. Poets can reclaim and reforge trauma into beauty. Poets know that well-chosen words can fly in below the radar, can pierce armor, can unravel illusion, can invoke irreversible states of compassion and empathy.

Poetry can do these things in contrast to the brutality and injustice against Black and underrepresented communities that has permeated our culture in so many ways, from the dishonest, manipulative word to the cruelty of the bludgeon.

As we strive to reclaim the language, we understand the need to act as well as to speak. These are terrifying times, though through our collective effort there is much to celebrate and learn together. Our house, such as it was, has fallen down and needs every one of us to take part in building a better one. We endeavor not only to confront the overt expressions of racism and injustice, but also the subtle ones that parasitize the very roots of our society. To that end, we’ve compiled a modest list of some of the organizations who would be glad to have you engage with them for change, on any level you are able to.