Poetry Reading: Kwabena Antoine Nixon

Please join us for a poetry reading by Kwabena Antoine Nixon!

"Kwabena Antoine Nixon is a nationally known spoken word artist, writer, educator, organizer, and motivational speaker. Born and raised on Chicago’s west side, known in the 80’s as the gangbang capital of the world, Kwabena lost his father to street violence at the age of 11. From his early teens, well into his days as a young adult black man, Antoine (as he was known then) struggled like many of that time, to find his voice and his purpose. He moved to Milwaukee to escape a lifestyle that many of his closest friends and family had fallen prey to. He found his voice in art. Still looking for his place and purpose, after completing a Rites of Passage program, he made the transformation to Kwabena when a local community elder gave him the name meaning “Inspirator.” Since, Kwabena has dedicated his life’s work to inspiring, not just a generation, but a movement.

Kwabena Antoine Nixon (IKAN) uses life’s experiences as a springboard to motivate youth. His “I Will Not Die Young” Campaign with Muhibb Dyer, serves as a catalyst to diminish violence within urban communities by empowering youth to dream big and take responsibility for their future.

Kwabena has traveled the US, touring with individuals such as Common, Talib Kwali, BET’s Cousin Jeff and Hip Hop Pioneer Russell Simmons. He has also shared the stage with some of the country’s most influential speakers such as Dr. Cornel West, Rev. Al Sharpton, the Honorable Louis Farrakhan, Mr. Harry Belafonte, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Judge Mathis and former aid to Dr. Martin Luther King, Mr. John Lewis to name a few. Kwabena is the author of Eye Write What Eye See and Sensitive Warsongz for Black and Brown Boys and co-founder and host of Poetry Unplugged (PU), the longest weekly running poetry event in the Midwest."

http://www.woodlandpattern.org/events/?event=383