• By Mabel Pais

The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation (Dodge Foundation), the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) and Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka on January 24, 2024 announced plans for the 2024 Dodge Poetry initiative – a new collaboration that celebrates poetry as a catalyst for communities to advance social change.

Guest speakers featured John Schreiber, CEO of NJPAC; Tanuja Dehne, President and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka; Ysabel Gonzalez, Poetry Creative Officer at the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

The event featured special poetry performances by Poet and Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, who recited his poem, ‘Digging Max,’ paying homage to his late father Amiri Baraka, a legendary poet and playwright who worked with Max Roach. Then, a surprise poetry performance by the legendary ‘The Last Poets,’ ABIODUN OYEWOLE, BABA DON and FELIPE LUCIANO, who continue the legacy of ‘The Last Poets’ who originally formed in 1968 in Harlem, New York.

The event also included an exceptional performance by Poet and Pulitzer Prize Winner TYEHIMBA JESS, a champion for Black voices in the literary arts. He is the Board President of Cave Canem, an organization committed to cultivating Black poets’ artistic and professional growth. Tyehimba Jess performed his poem, ‘A Black Man’s Prayer,’ a profound poem about peace.

Watch a surprise poetry performance by the legendary ‘The Last Poets,’ Umar Bin Hassan, Abiodun Oyewole, and Baba Don, who continue the legacy of ‘The Last Poets’ and who originally formed in 1968 in Harlem, New York – youtu.be/B3DY7ClAbQA

For the first time, Dodge Poetry will expand beyond its biennial poetry festival (which has been headquartered at NJPAC since 2010) to include poetry programs in Newark throughout the year including NJPAC’s Horizon Sounds of The City.

These Dodge Poetry events will have three goals to: 1) mobilize communities and fuel movements for social change; 2) amplify poet activists who challenge and reframe existing narratives and norms; and 3) create spaces for empathy, healing, and repair for individuals who have experienced systemic racism.

Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka shared, “Because poetry impacts hearts so directly, it has great power to transform communities, and give rise to social change, hope, and healing. This year-round poetry program about to ripple through Newark will realize one of my greatest wishes for the city, and I thank the Dodge Foundation and NJPAC for making this happen.”

Building on 40 years of poetry programming, the new collaboration between NJPAC and Dodge Foundation will extend the footprint of Dodge Poetry across the entire city of Newark. The events are designed to engage and activate residents, especially young people and community partners, and to highlight the intersection of poetry and social justice.

The first initiative of this project happened on Friday, January 26th with ‘Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite’ performance in NJPAC’s Prudential Hall at 8PM , a celebration of the centennial of Max Roach — drummer, bebop pioneer, and civil rights activist — who explored social justice issues and racial inequality through the lens of jazz and poetry.

Performers included Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, who presented his poems by his father, Amiri Baraka (a long-time Max Roach collaborator) as well as his own writing; drummer Nasheet Waits (of Max’s percussion ensemble M’Boom); vocalist Cassandra Wilson; poets ‘The Last Poets,’ Sonia Sanchez and Saul Williams; saxophonist Ravi Coltrane; pianist Nduduzo Makhathini; and bassist Eric Revis. Advisory Committee member and past Festival Poet, Vincent Toro, opened the event.

Dodge Poetry will culminate with the 20th celebration of the Dodge Poetry Festival, an event that has to-date engaged more than 150,000 people including 45,000 high school students, on Oct 17-19, 2024. The Festival will be hosted by the Dodge Foundation at NJPAC, which has welcomed poets and artists from across the United States to Newark every other year since 2010, and it will feature performances, readings, and special programs designed to build a community of poets and citizens mobilizing for racial and social justice, repair, and healing.

“The Dodge Foundation has a long legacy of creating opportunities for people to explore and engage with poetry. Now, the reimagined Dodge Poetry will expand our ability to reach new places and people, and focus our programming on artists and activists who interrogate and address issues of social justice,” says Tanuja Dehne, President and CEO of the Dodge Foundation. “By holding these events and the festival across Newark, we will honor the city’s legacy and further amplify the voices and narratives of those who have been at the forefront of activism for racial justice.”

“Ours is a city of the arts, a center of creativity where there are so many stories that need to be heard. Through this initiative, we look forward to sharing the aspirations and realities of all Newarkers” said John Schreiber, President and CEO of NJPAC. “All of us at the Arts Center are excited that the Dodge Foundation is collaborating with us on creating authentic, community-centric programs that spotlight poetry as a means to advocate for social justice and artistic expression.”

To help shape and guide the events and strategy over the year, Dodge Poetry has convened an Advisory Committee of award-winning poets and activists: Sean Battle, CEO and Founder of EvoluCulture Ventures, a Newark-based integrated arts organization that holds space for artists and art lovers; Tamiko Beyer, a social justice communications writer and strategist with roots in radical queer organizing, racial justice organizing, and art activism; Naomi Extra, a poet, writer, cartoonist, and scholar with a PhD in American Studies from Rutgers Newark; Willie Perdomo, a two-time New York Foundation of the Arts Poetry Fellow and former NY state Poet Laureate;  and Vincent Toro, an award-winning Puerto Rican poet, playwright, stage performer, author of two poetry collections, and full time professor at Rider University.

More information about Dodge Poetry, upcoming shows, and events can be found at njpac.org/dodgepoetry. The Dodge Poetry Festival does have an open submission process, and applications will be accepted for performance consideration beginning in mid-February.

Mayor Baraka

Ras J. Baraka is the 40th Mayor of the City of Newark.

A native of Newark, whose family has lived in the City for more than 80 years, Mayor Baraka’s progressive approach to governing has won him accolades from grassroots organizations to the White House.

Learn more at rasbaraka.com; #Believeinnewark; facebook.com/RasJBaraka

The Last Poets

The Last Poets was formed in 1968 in Harlem, New York. Before RAP knew its name, there was a group of ambitious young men who reflected the harsh spirit of their times and whose work remains prophetic and inspirational today. ‘The Last Poets’ started in the late sixties, speaking out as few other musical groups had, or have since, about racism, poverty, and other African American and societal concerns. Learn more at thelastpoets.com. 

Tyehimba Jess

Tyehimba Jess is a Pulitzer Prize winner and is a champion for Black voices in the literary arts and is the Board President of Cave Canem, an organization committed to cultivating the artistic and professional growth of Black poets. Learn more at tyehimbajess.net.

The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation

Established in 1974, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation envisions a just and equitable New Jersey where people of all races and communities have equitable access to opportunities to thrive. Learn more at grdodge.org.

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)

Learn more at www.njpac.org.

(Mabel Pais writes on Social Issues, Spirituality, The Arts and Entertainment, Education, Cuisine, Health & Wellness, and Business)