My name is Luke Nephew. I am a co-founder of The Peace Poets and an artist educator with Voices UnBroken, an organization that makes poetry workshops accessible to vulnerable youth, with a focus on working with young people in the juvenile and adult justice system. I wrote this poem for our young people who sometimes need to be reminded of the world outside that desperately needs their presence and their brilliance. As an educator and organizer, I hope that this poem can be used and shared to celebrate the preciousness of our young folks, as well as offer support to any and all campaigns advocating for them and their communities…I hope that this piece can be used both to turn society’s gaze in their direction, to raise up their struggle to stay whole in the midst of this broken system, and to remember to listen for their voices that remain unbroken…
If you want to learn more about – or offer support to – the work of Voices UnBroken please visit: www.voicesunbroken.org