At ten, I gave my first public performance in church, and by fifteen I had a pretty strong following in my hometown amongst the African-Caribbean and Asian community. I was thrilled, but even at that age I knew I wanted to reach more people, I wanted to reach outside of the black community. So in 1979, I headed to London. Getting noticed by the public was very gradual for me. I remember around 1982–83 people writing about me and saying, he’s important ’cause of all the things he talks about. I would say things that I thought were pretty average and then it would be quoted in the newspaper the next day and I couldn’t believe it was that important! Over the years, I realized that it’s not just about me. There’s a lot of work to be done. Back then, the first thing I set out to do was popularize poetry. The dead image that academia presented of poetry frustrated me. I wanted people who didn’t read books, those who couldn’t read books, and those who were avid readers alike to witness a book coming to life on stage. My poetry was political, musical, radical, relevant, and, over time, on television! I was able to talk about topics that were important to me in a manner that felt true to me and people listened.
One of the areas I feel strongly about is domestic abuse. My father was very violent toward my mother. Anytime I see a frying pan on the floor I get real shivers. I remember hearing a noise downstairs in the middle of the night, and I went down and my mother and father were quiet because they were surprised that I was there, and my mother was tearful, but quietly tearful.There was a frying pan on the floor, and I thought that was a strange place for it. You don’t usually see a frying pan on the floor. I said, “Mom, what is the frying pan doing on the floor?” And my mother just burst into tears and said, “Your daddy hit me with it! Your daddy hit me with it!” The first time I ever ended up in a police station it was because I stabbed my father with this little knife I had bought for sixpence, a toy really, but I had to in order to save my mother’s life.
Seeing what my mother went through really made me think about women’s rights. In my poetry I express my belief that in many ways women’s rights have taken a step back in Britain. A lot of women think that they’ve arrived because they can compete with the men in the boardroom as if that’s some kind of liberation. That because they can earn as much money as men, because they can drink as much beer as men and get as drunk as men, they think that’s liberation. I think one has to be very careful. It’s not simply just about equality. Equality on its own is not good enough. What’s the use of a woman wanting equality with a man who’s already oppressed? Do you want to be equally oppressed? No, we should be getting together and having full liberation. It all comes down to politics.
There’s a political poem that is really crucial written by Adrian Mitchell. It’s a very simple poem, only three lines and the top line is just the bottom line in a different order and the middle line is only one word. So, let me give it to you. It says:
Most people ignore most poetry
Because Most poetry ignores most people
I think that’s beautiful. And I think you can change the word poetry. You can say most people ignore most politics because most politics ignore most people. Nevertheless, positive change can happen in the most unexpected ways. I always think of the suffragette movement. Women in Britain, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States have the right to vote, and it can all be traced back to the suffragette movement. These women have gone down in history. This was never a great big, massive movement. Actually it was a small group of women who sat around eating biscuits and drinking tea, that went, “you know what, why can’t we have the vote?” I want to tell people through my work to never feel that you’re too small. Even if there are three of you and your cause is just, believe in it. A handful of women in London went, “Hey, we shouldn’t take this,” and their actions can be traced to women voting in Africa and Asia and all over the world now. It was never like the civil rights movement in the United States or anything like that. It was very small and dedicated. It wasn’t about their numbers; it was the dedication they had that was important.
Resources
Adams, Barbara
Trekkies, Paramount Pictures, 1999
Trekkies 2, Paramount Pictures, 2004
Astin, Sean
There and Back Again: An Actor’s Tale. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2004
The National Center for Family Literacy
325 West Main Street, Suite 300
Louisville, KY 40202
502-584-1133
www.famlit.org
The National Center for Family Literacy puts parents in the forefront of their children’s learning.
Bacon, Kevin
Six Degrees
www.Sixdegrees.org
Six Degrees uses the concept that everyone is separated by six degrees to raise funds for charities.
Bardot, Brigitte
Brigitte Bardot Foundation for Animals
28 rue Vineuse
75116 Paris
France
+33 (0)1 4505 1460
www.fondationbrigittebardot.fr
The Brigitte Bardot Foundation for Animals specializes in rescuing animals, campaigning to increase spay/neuter efforts, prosecuting cruelty cases, and creating safe havens for animals around the world.
Barnard, Dr. Neal
Food for Life. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1994
Eat Right, Live Longer. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1996
Foods That Fight Pain. New York: Bantam, 1999
Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes. Emmaus, PA:
Rodale Books, 2006
Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine
5100 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20016-4131
202-686-2210
www.pcrm.org
Doctors and laypersons working together for compassionate and effective medical practice, research, and health promotion.
Buckley, Carol
Just for Elephants. Gardiner, Maine:Tilbury House Publishers, 2006
Travels with Tarra. Gardiner, Maine:Tilbury House Publishers, 2002
The Elephant Sanctuary
PO Box 393
Hohenwald, TN 38462
931-796-9500
www.elephants.com
A natural-habitat refuge for sick, old, and needy elephants.
Bunny, Lady
www.ladybunny.net
Coe, Sue
Sheep of Fools. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books, 2005
Bully! New York: Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2004
Pit’s Letter. New York: Four Wall Eight Windows, 2001
www.graphicwitness.org/coe/coebio.htm
Cohn, Susan
Jalapeño Productions
136 East 79th Street #1E
New York, NY 10021
www.runningmadness.com
The Dalai Lama
www.dalailama.com
Official Web site for His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.
Dalai Lama Foundation
61 Renato Court #24
Redwood City, CA 94061
650-368-4435
www.dalailamafoundation.org
The Dalai Lama Foundation focuses on promoting and developing projects for curriculum on ethics and peace.
Dulaine, Pierre
Dancing Classrooms 25 West 31st St.
Fourth Floor
New York, NY 10001
www.dancingclassrooms.com
Dancing Classrooms teaches ballroom dance to elementary, middle school, and high school students. Classes are available for any child regardless of background or experience.
Fernandez, Dr. Armida
Sneha, Inc.
PO Box 271650
West Hartford, CT 06127
860-658-4615
www.sneha.org
Sneha is a network for women of South Asian origin and their families that empowers women, particularly survivors of domestic violence.
Freston, Kathy
The One: Discovering
the Secrets of Soul Mate Love. New York:
Miramax Books, 2006
Expect a Miracle: 7 Spiritual Steps to Finding the Right Relationship.
New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2003
Finding a Great Relationship. (Audio CD), 2000
www.kathyfreston.com
Gannon, Sharon
Jivamukti Yoga. New York: Random House, 2002
The Art of Yoga. New York: Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2002
Cats and Dogs Are People Too! New York: Lantern Books, 2002
Jivamukti Yoga School
841 Broadway, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10003
212-353-0214
www.jivamuktiyoga.com
The Jivamukti Yoga Centers are places for spiritual gathering that offer vigorous Hatha Yoga classes with an emphasis on the source teachings from such ancient texts as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Upanishads.
Gardner, John
ViewPlus
1853 SW Airport Ave.
Corvallis, OR 97333
541-754-4002
www.viewplus.com
ViewPlus develops technologies that minimize the communication gap between those who are blind and those who can see. Such products include: a line of four Tiger® Braille printers of various speeds and sizes, two HP Inkjet ink and Braille systems, the IVEO Tactile-Audio System, the Tiger Software Suite (Braille translation software and tactile graphics design studio), as well as the Audio Graphing Calculator.
Granatelli, Andy
Scientifically Treated Petroleum (STP)
www.stp.com
Oil, gas, and fuel treatments for automobiles, STP became famous through the racing industry.
Grandin, Dr. Temple
Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode
Animal Behavior. New York: Scribner, 2005
Livestock Handling and Transport. New York: CABI Publishing,
2000
Genetics and the Behavior of Domestic Animals. St. Louis: Academic
Press, 1998
www.grandin.com
Hammarstedt, Peter
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
PO Box 2616
Friday Harbor,
WA 98250
360-370-5650
www.seashepherd.org
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society strives to protect and conserve marine wildlife with the goal of shutting down illegal whaling and sealing operations.
Hartwell, Ru
Treeflights
Pantglas, Llanddewi Brefi
Tregaron, Ceredigion
Wales
SY256PE
+44 (0)15 7049 3275
www.treeflights.com
Treeflights allows airline customers to buy trees that are planted to offset the damaging effects of their flight.
Harvey, Larry
Burning Man
415-TO-FLAME
www.burningman.com
Burning Man is a weeklong event in a temporary community that challenges its attendants to express themselves and rely on themselves in the Black Rock City Desert.
Heimlich, Dr. Henry
Heimlich Institute
Deaconess Foundation
311 Straight St.
Cincinnati, OH 45219
513-559-2100
www.heimlichinstitute.org
The Institute encourages others to use the creative portion of their minds in medicine and life.
Hork, Dana
Change for Change
345 E. 77th St., Suite 2E
New York, NY 10021
www.changeforchange.org
Change for Change provides cups and other accessories to communities that enable them to collect change to donate to a charity of their choice.
Hosking, Rebecca
Planet Ark Foundation
Level 2, 15-17 Young Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia
+61 (0)2 8484 7200
www.planetark.com
Planet Ark works to help people reduce the day-to-day impact on the environment.
Kevan, Robin
Rob the Rubbish
Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys Wales
www.robtherubbish.com
Personal Web site dedicated to Robin Kevan’s work to keep his community clean.
Kucinich, Representative Dennis
Peace Alliance
1730 Rhode Island Ave. NW
Suite 712
Washington, DC 20036
www.thepeacealliance.org
Peace Alliance is a citizen action organization for peace.
Kuhn, Heidi
Roots of Peace
1299 Fourth St., Suite 200
San Rafael, CA 94901
1-888-ROOTS-31
www.rootsofpeace.org
Roots of Peace is dedicated to eliminating landmines and healing the land.
Kurzweil, Raymond
The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. New
York: Penguin, 2006
The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human
Intelligence. New York: Penguin, 2000
www.kurzweilai.net
Laflin, Bonnie-Jill
www.bonnie-jill.com
View Bonnie-Jill Laflin’s acting, modeling, and sports broadcasting career.
Maathai, Wangari
Green Belt Movement
www.greenbeltmovement.org
Green Belt Movement provides income and sustenance to millions of people in Kenya through the planting of trees. It also conducts educational campaigns to raise awareness about women’s rights, civic empowerment, and the environment throughout Kenya and Africa.
Mazahery, Lily
One Million Signatures Campaign
www.weforchange.info
The One Million Signatures Campaign offers support toward Iranian women who are striving to reform laws and achieve equal status in Iran.
McCartney, Sir Paul
www.paulmccartney.com
McCartney, Stella
Stella McCartney Designs
www.stellamccartney.com
McGowan, Mark
+44 (0)79 4453 3010
www.markmcgowan.org
McHenry, Keith
Food Not Bombs
PO Box 424
Arroyo Seco, NM 87514
505-776-3880
www.foodnotbombs.net
Food Not Bombs protests war and poverty while sharing free vegetarian food with the hungry.
McLaughlin, John
www.johnmclaughlin.com
Mintz, Arthur
Medical Ambassadors (now called LifeWind)
PO Box 576645
Modesto, CA 95357-6645
209-524-0600
www.lifewind.org
LifeWind works in rural villages and urban slums to empower local leaders to address their community’s problems by looking at the root of poverty and disease.
Moby
www.moby.com
Mullins, Aimee
Ossur
27412 Aliso Viejo Pkwy
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
800-233-6263
www.ossur.com
Ossur provides the most up-to-date braces, supports, and prosthetics, including Van Phillips’s Flex-Foot Cheetah.
Navratilova, Martina
www.martinanavratilova.com
Nelson, Willie
Farm Aid
11 Ward Street, Suite 200
Somerville, MA 02143
800-FARM-AID
www.farmaid.org
Farm Aid raises awareness about the loss of family farms as well as raises funds to help families keep their lands.
BioWillie
Earth Biofuels, Inc.
3001 Knox Street, Suite 303
Dallas, TX 75205
866-765-4940
www.biowillieusa.com
Nemcova, Petra
Happy Hearts Foundation
131 Varick Street, Suite 921
New York, NY 10013
212-627-3220
www.happyheartsfund.org
The Happy Hearts Foundation aids children around the world who have suffered hardship as a result of natural, economic, and health-related disasters.
Rathke, Wade
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
739 8th St. SE
Washington, DC 20003
1-877-55ACORN
www.acorn.org
ACORN is the largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families working together for social justice.
Richards, Doris
Dog Fun Directory
www.ecoanimal.com/dogfun
Offers a directory of dog parks in the United States and Canada.
Rosenthal, Rachel
Rachel Rosenthal Company
www.rachelrosenthal.org
Seegar, Dave
The Soupie at the Margaret River Community Resource Center
33 Tunbridge St.
One Can Make a Difference Page 23