GRAND RAPIDS, Mi — Art is a form of communication and a source of empowerment. The Diatribe is a west Michigan organization dedicated to teaching the young people in our communities about social issues, coping strategies and more.
Antonio Taylor is an artist of spoken word. He's totally at home on stage, often performing an open mic nights or at GR Noir. He says finding inspiration isn’t difficult. “I think the world gives us enough content to write about. Today's society that we live in, my family, people who believe in me, that’s where I draw my inspiration to do it.”
When he's not performing, you'll find him in a classroom teaching. He's one of several volunteers who work with The Diatribe to inspire youth across west Michigan. The organization is a collective of people who served the greater community of Grand Rapids. Poets, spoken word artists and freelance artists as well who put up murals in the 49507 Project.
Taylor says he enjoys giving back and sharing his wisdom to help them expand their lives in a creative way. He uses the lessons he’s learned to inspire their work. “So one of the things I tell the youth is capture these moments, journal, write. Write about what you see, about what you feel, your emotions. Write about that experience because it's your story. It's part of your testimony and you should be proud of your story.”
“The more you know your history. The more liberated you are.” That’s a quote from the great Maya Angelou. It’s also the subject of one of the many murals installed by The Diatribe. The goal is to make sure that people of color living in the 49507 neighborhoods feel recognized, represented and honored. The organization went to the community to ask what they wanted to see. The majority of them asked for murals of their heroes and some of their quotes. Taylor says it has a profound impact. “It's all of our representation. So, when kids are walking down the street from school and they're able to see this they're able to see things that they identify with, they're able to see a story that they can relate to. This is all intention that we put them on black owned businesses so people can just feel the revitalization of the community, you know, so it's just amazing to see.”
From the classrooms to the streets, the young people living here can now hear and see that they matter. Their families matter, and they have a powerful voice. Taylor says he sees what a difference they’re making one student at a time. “Some of the students actually blow my mind. We had a teenager fall from our last year's classes who went rival speaking at a downtown city council meeting. She was just so brave, but this is this is what we teach. We teach our youth to be brave.”
