A True Culture of Belonging: Homage to Jason Koo & Brooklyn Poets by Darius Phelps

Darius Phelps is a doctoral student at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is an adjunct professor at CUNY Queens, Hunter College, Teachers College, and intern at Brooklyn Poets.  An educator, poet, spoken word artist, and activist, Darius writes poems about grief, liberation, emancipation, reflection through the lens of a teacher of color and experiencing Black boy joy. His poems have appeared in the NY English Record, NCTE's English Journal, Pearl Press Magazine, and ëëN Magazine’s The 2023 Valentine Issue.  Recently, he was featured on WCBS and highlighted the importance of Black male educators in the classroom. Darius can be contacted via email at: [email protected].

A True Culture of Belonging: Homage to Jason Koo & Brooklyn Poets by Darius Phelps 

The late bell hooks stated “Poetry sustains life. Of this I am certain. There is no doubt in my mind that the pain of poverty, whether material or emotional lack, can be eased by the power of language. I know this intimately.” When I think of my relationship with poetry, this quote captures my feelings wholeheartedly. Throughout my childhood, writing poetry started off as a hobby that ended up being a source of comfort, healing, and restoration when I lost  my grandfather a decade ago. Never taken a class or received any formal training, I’ve always picked up the pen and let it guide me, no matter where or how deep into my emotions. Books and the use of words taught me how to grasp what I feel on a daily basis, whether that be a spectrum of emotions or even working through my grief as I processed my loss.
As a doctoral student, male  educator of color, and marginalized voice — I’ve never felt like I have truly belonged somewhere, in any capacity. Every room I walk in, someone has always tried to either silence my voice, dim my light, or ultimately eradicate me to keep me from walking in my purpose.  With my matriculation through school and earning degrees from predominantly white institutions, this has weighed even more on my soul. In the midst of my doctoral journey, especially as I near the end, I found myself backstabbed, ostracized, and eradicated in so many forms. Every room I walked in, teachers and peers overlooked my ideas, dismissed my experiences, micro-manage my projects, and even told me my story would not  resonate with anyone. Struggling to get a grip on my passion, my motivation for even moving to New York City in the first place, these events intensified this feeling of loneliness and isolation. 
 In August 2022, I knew I needed a change in my life and was ready to get back to pursuing my passion, particularly one that felt natural, organic, and made me feel at peace. It was during this time that I stumbled across Brooklyn Poets  and began attending one of the Drop In Classes, titled “A Draught of Vintage: Poetry Happy Hour with the  Founder and Executive Director, Jason Koo. This class detailed that “In the spirit of John Keats, in this weekly drop in class, we will drink from the cup of poetry and “leave the world unseen” --- oddly, by studying under Koo himself, I have never felt more seen and heard, both as a man of color, but most importantly, as a poet. 

When I think of poetry,  the pioneering work of Koo, and Brooklyn Poets, I am reminded of this quote from bell hooks from “Belonging: A Culture of Place”: “I dreamed about a culture of belonging. I still dream that dream. I contemplate what our lives would be like if we knew how to cultivate awareness, to live mindfully, peacefully; if we learned habits of being that would bring us closer together, that would help us build beloved community.”  Jason Koo and Brooklyn Poets  have provided for me, a true community, one that I still revel in my thoughts, trying to grasp the genuine love, amount of  appreciation I’ve been shown, and how I have grown collectively. 

​Prior to my TEDx talk, “Fingerprints Upon My Heart” in 2017, I had never performed  spoken word or even read my poetry out loud. Under Koo’s mentorship and guidance at Brooklyn Poets, I have regained my confidence and discovered my voice, one that  reverberates off the walls in its true power, commanding every body and spirit to listen, as I walk on my road to renaissance.  When a true, inclusive brave space has been established, all members of the community learn how to honor each other’s experiences and opinions with respect in order to reach a place of true understanding where various talents and abilities can shine. Voices of marginalized people and communities have been silenced for many are uncomfortable exercising their right to free speech due to class for decades, and now is the time for us to speak our truth. (hooks, 2014) There is power in our narratives, our trials, tribulations, and triumphs. As educators and professors of the Academy, we should be devoting our time and energy to cultivating brave spaces, where every soul, especially our adolescents, can soar.

The carefully selected and curated works for literature,  such as More than Mere Light by Jason Koo, Javier Zamora’s Solito, Jose Olivarez’s Promises of Gold, and Megan Fernades’s Good Boys,  evident from the work selected by Koo and staff at Brooklyn Poets, specifically poetry from diverse poets deserve to be amplified, for they tell the authentic narratives of those who, like myself, have been silenced in some aspect. When these tales are told in the form of poetry, it holds even more power.  Without a doubt, poetry helps us become better teachers for our students and we can highlight YA poets such as Elizabeth Acevedo, Margarita Engle, Jacqueline Woodson, and Dean Atta. With poetry, we learn to speak well and with emotion, how to emulate that emotion, and are more attentive to words and the emotions that they convey. 

The world of poetry opens up our minds to be able to explore our own voice and even find a new one in the process. Poetry can teach us about ourselves and others in a deep and meaningful way. Instead of writing or reading a generic story about us or someone else, poetry provides the freedom for the writer to not only feel, but to fully experience exactly what the writer went through. During that journey, the reader’s experience becomes enhanced with the use of similes, metaphors, alliterations, imagery, foreshadowing, and other literary devices. These factors that poetry can offer is what makes our writing that much more personal and what’s personal for us can end up being a universal message for our readers and our students. 
With the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, there has been a radical moment towards making sure diverse voices are amplified, heard, and appreciated. bell hooks states that  “To indoctrinate boys into the rules of patriarchy, we force them to feel pain and to deny their feelings.” Oftentimes, young men, particularly those of color, are hesitant to show any kind of emotion or vulnerability, or identify with issues such as race, prejudice, bullying, and loneliness.  As a male educator of color  I am determined  to inspire, embolden, and encourage those who come from backgrounds similar to that of my own, showing and teaching them the power of the pen and being vulnerable through poetry, the way Jason Koo has been for me. 
In a world full of hatred and racism, we should be spreading the message of love, community, and strength while fostering identity and cultural representation. These messages could very well be something that our students and fellow educators have yet to experience in their lifetime and I will do everything I can to bring awareness to this issue. Our narratives, especially as people of color,  deserve to reflect the same, for this is the vision that I bring and will advocate to make sure it happens. Every soul deserves a true place of solace, like Brooklyn Poets. If educators and curriculum writers could adopt the same mindset as Jason Koo, then maybe we’d finally be on the right page to building a better world for our future leaders of America; one where all voices are worth celebrating. 

References: 
hooks, B. (2008). Belonging: A Culture of Place (1st ed.). Routledge. 
hooks, B. (2014). Teaching to transgress. Routledge.