Poet and motivational speaker Kwabena Antoine Nixon said that he lived as a nosy child. He stayed curious about every little thing around him.
"I wanted to touch everything: I wanted to see what was going on, who was talking," Nixon said with a nod. He said that he learned about life through listening to stories that his uncles would share around a table. He also said that he gained insight from his grandmother. She wasn't afraid of offering a child her "old wives tales." But as Nixon got older, he realized that curiosity in his neighborhood wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. Gangs and crack intruded the streets, creating conflict. Local grocery stores and black-owned businesses started disappearing. One of Nixon’s primary family members lost his life. "I lost my father at 11 years old to street violence," Nixon said and cleared his throat. "The rest of my teen years were spent just trying to stay alive." But everything changed when Nixon started producing poetry to ease his pain. Nixon said that he enjoyed scribbling words on pieces of paper and sharing his verses with his classmates or anyone who wanted an earful. From the process, he knew he was meant to be a writer. As a child when Nixon began writing poetry, he did not know how much of a change it would come to make in his life. “I knew what poetry was but, I didn’t know anybody made a living off of it,” Nixon said. “I didn’t think it was worth it.” Into his adulthood years, Nixon moved to Milwaukee, Wis. where he began working with African American youth. He is currently working with 10 high schools in the city as a workshop facilitator. He helps young male students attain good grades and attendance through a program called, “Saving Our Sons- I Will Not Die Young.” Nixon works as workshop facilitator helping at-risk male students. He influences young African American males toward creating success within their lives and communities. Dafi Malik, project director for the program, said that Nixon has “a gift for inspiring youth.” Malik also said “it was an easy decision to be a part of this movement.” When working with the kids, Nixon tries to give them a safe environment where they will feel comfortable speaking about their problems. Through writing and speaking about their issues, he hopes that the students will be more willing to make a positive change. Poetry and youth work had a positive effect on Nixon’s life. He wants that same for the students he works with. He said he wants to give them the expressive skills that he wished he found in himself sooner. “Had somebody come along and shown me what I do now, I think it would’ve been a different turn out in our neighborhood,” he said. Outside of the program, Nixon is part of one of the largest poetry sets in the country called “Poetry Unplugged.” The 10-year-old program occurs every Tuesday in Milwaukee and features Nixon as its host. The poetry set includes spoken word artist and open mic nights. With such success of turning words into art, the reciter said that he wants to continue with his work and positively impact the society. He also said that he plans on continuing spending time with his family and laughing to jokes from the series “Family Guy.” “I know that’s not good for the talk, but you need a release,” Nixon said with a laugh. “And Stewie is probably the funniest… OK I’ll stop.” “It’s not so much that I was attracted to poetry as much as I was attracted to writing and expressing myself,” Nixon said as he shifted back in his plastic black chair. “Telling [people] stories of my friends, some who aren’t here now: I’m able to tell that story because I’m still here.”
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Poet, writer, and motivational speaker Kwabena Antoine Nixon said that he was a nosy child who was curious about every little thing around him when he was growing up.
"I wanted to touch everything: I wanted to see what was going on, who was talking," Nixon said with a nod. Nixon said that he learned about life through listening to stories that his uncles would typically share around a table at home. He also said that he gained insight from his grandmother. She wasn't afraid of offering a child her "old wives tales." But as Nixon got older, he realized that the wanting of exploration within his environment wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. He learned harsh realities about the setting around him. "The influx of gangs had hit Chicago," Nixon said. "They had already been there, but in my teen years, it really hit." Gangs weren’t the only issue. Crack intruded the streets, creating conflict with people. Local grocery stores and black-owned businesses started disappearing. And one of Nixon’s primary family members lost his life. "I lost my father at 11 years old to street violence," Nixon said. He cleared his throat before continuing. "The rest of my teen years were spent just trying to stay alive." At that point, Nixon said that his new plan of just making it in his neighborhood was to get through high school, perhaps go to college (possibly) and just not die. But everything changed when he started writing poetry to ease his pain. He said that he remembered putting his words down on paper dedicated to his father's funeral. His work carried on into school. “When I wrote poetry, that was the first time I ever got attention in school,” Nixon said that he recalled. “Other than that, in school I was just like any other black kid trying to find out who you are and where you fit in, but poetry was the time that I got the attention.” Nixon absorbed himself into scribbling words on pieces of paper. He said that he would do such things as sit and look in the sky for long periods of time while engaging in his work. From the process, he knew he was meant to be a writer. “[And] You know you’re a writer when you ride past a house and you wonder what those people live like,” Nixon said while rubbing his hand across his scratchy black beard. “There’s no sight better than being on the west side of Chicago and be able to look downtown to see the sunrise, you know, see the sunset.” Nixon said that he enjoyed sharing his verses with his classmates and anyone else who wanted an earful. “It’s not so much that I was attracted to poetry as much as I was attracted to writing and expressing myself,” Nixon shifted left in the black and plastic chair he sat in. “Telling them stories of my friends, some who aren’t here now: I’m able to tell that story because I’m still here.” Today, Nixon continues writing his rhymes with the world. He also runs a program known as the “I Will Not Die Young” campaign. Through the curriculum, he influences 120 young African American males toward creating success within their lives and communities through things such as poetry. He also hosts Poetry Unplugged. “It’s one of the largest poetry sets in the country right here in the city of Milwaukee,” Nixon said. “It’s ten years in the running.” With such success of turning words into art, the reciter says that he wants to continue with his work and being a dedicated household man. He said that he plans on continuing spending time with his family and laughing to jokes from the series “Family Guy.” “I know that’s not good for the talk, but you need a release,” Nixon said with a laugh. “And Stewie is probably the funniest… OK I’ll stop.” INCLUDE OTHER VOICES TO FIX CONCLUSION (In process of receiving them) |
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