Join us at the National Museum of African American History and Culture for a gathering to celebrate the accomplishments and successes of the past 4 years and the vow to continue to be the change we want to see in the world.

Tickets include open bar, open food, live music, dancing, and speeches by distinguished guests. ALL exhibits will be open to guests: http://busboysandpoets.com/events/info/2017-inaugural-peace-ball
“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.

What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.

And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” – Howard Zinn

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For Langston Hughes on His 123 Birthday

Speech given on February 1, 2024 in Havana, Cuba In 1927 Langston Hughes walked into a Cuba amid an emerging community of artists, intellectuals, and radicals.  He saw a “sunrise in a new land [– a day – in his words]sic – full of brownskin surprises, and hitherto unknown contacts in a world of color.”  … Continued

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Palestine Week 2024

January 18, 2024 – January 25, 2024 In keeping with our ongoing mission of uplifting racial and cultural connections, Busboys and Poets is hosting Palestine Week (January 18 through January 25, 2024). This week-long series of events will offer a diverse range of programming featuring Palestinian food, music, dance, poetry, discussions, and other enriching events. … Continued

Busboys and Poets Books Recommendations: Women’s History Month

Busboys and Poets Books Recommendations: Women’s History Month

It’s Women’s History Month and you might be feeling a little overwhelmed. After all, women have been around for a while and have been doing awesome things just as long – how can you figure out which awesome book to read next? Well have no fear, Busboys and Poets Books has you covered – just … Continued

Busboys and Poets Books Interview: E. Ethelbert Miller

Busboys and Poets Books Interview: E. Ethelbert Miller

February saw the release of If God Invented Baseball, the latest collection of poetry from DC legend and literary activist E. Ethelbert Miller. A devoted fan of the Washington Nationals, Ethelbert celebrates in the book the magic of baseball and its lessons for life.  In advance of the poet’s upcoming event at Busboys and Poets … Continued

AndyShallal PeaceandStruggle

Everest Base Camp #9

Quaint is the word. I am starving. The lack of sleep and exhaustion makes me famished. To my surprise, the menu at this tea house (as in every tea house along the route I come to learn) looks like any roadside diner along I-95 South. It’s even laminated. The only thing missing was, the “hi … Continued