Speaking truth to power by reciting a poem

[Shepherd]

I want to appreciate graduating senior Dee Dee Simpson for speaking truth to power at the SSU graduation by reciting a poem condemning racial injustice. So-called president Trump can threaten people of color, women, immigrants, Muslims, etc. Meanwhile, a brave African-American student is not supposed to respond.

My appreciation to English professor Gillian Conoley for supporting her, in the face of those condemning her. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Silence is betrayal." It's time to speak up, while we still can.


Critics blast SSU graduation poem as ‘hate speech’
PAUL PAYNE, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | May 25, 2017

A spirited poem decrying racial injustice and conservative politics read before hundreds at Sonoma State University’s weekend graduation ceremony drew sharp criticism from some parents over its tone and coarse language while prompting an email apology from President Judy Sakaki.

Graduating senior Dee Dee Simpson recited her poem from memory Saturday night on stage at Weill Hall in the Green Music Center, where a record-setting 2,651 students received diplomas during the two-day commencement.

In the poem, Simpson, who is African-American, railed against police violence that has claimed black lives and made disparaging references to President Donald Trump and Fox News. The several minutes of verse contained a number of expletives.

Cara Freedman was outraged. The San Diego parent, who sat on the lawn waiting for her daughter, Alexa Grossman, to graduate, said she looked around to see people shaking their heads after Simpson “dropped the F-bomb.”

“We were shocked,” Freedman said Tuesday in an interview. “I’m still a little bit shocked. What kind of school is this? Who in the world would allow this to take place?”

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[O.W.]

Very sad her poem is not published widely. We can make up our own minds about the content. Truth is an endangered species in our country. The US was just rated number 43 in freedom for the press. https://rsf.org/en/ranking_table .

I want to appreciate graduating senior Dee Dee Simpson for speaking truth to power at the SSU graduation by reciting a poem condemning racial injustice. ...