“People are saying their deepest fears, people are challenging the system … but at the same time they’re also getting scored,” says Justin Blackburn. “Not only is it this empowering performance, [but it’s also] a game.”
![](https://mountainx.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/20180913_©LibbyGamble_AvlBiscuitHeadPoetrySlam-45-330x220.jpg)
“People are saying their deepest fears, people are challenging the system … but at the same time they’re also getting scored,” says Justin Blackburn. “Not only is it this empowering performance, [but it’s also] a game.”
After petitioning YouTube to reinstate the powerful work, the media outlet relented and Blackburn’s words are again available to, hopefully, fuel dialog.
On their current tour, Gibson is donating $1 from each ticket to Black Lives Matter. “This is an art form that is celebrated and occupied by a lot of marginalized people, specifically folks of color,” Gibson says of spoken-word.
Nicole Townsend’s upcoming production, Existing While Black, was created because she was “wanting a platform to where we can go deeper and talk about things that are uncomfortable, that hurt, and that make people angry.”