Poet Sonia Sanchez: The Power Of Words Can Change The World
“These words we said, these songs we sang… those vibrations change people.”
Sonia Sanchez is an award-winning poet, playwright, professor, and activist.
She was one of the most important voices in the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit held a tribute for Sanchez over the weekend that included poetry readings and a screening of a documentary exploring her life and career, titled BaddDDD.
Sanchez recently spoke with WDET’s Jake Neher on Detroit Today about her career, the Black Arts Movement, and being honored in Detroit.
“It was an amazing moment in her-story and history when many of us realized this country did not love us,” says Sanchez.
She adds that many people had to “re-imagine ourselves in this American landscape.”
Sanchez says poetry can have a lasting and dramatic impact on people and their life paths.
“Words, these words we said, these songs we sang… those vibrations change people.”
Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversation.
