We at Busboys and Poets are distressed at the senseless violence against Black men, women, children, and Black people of all genders that has become all too commonplace in this country. Not a day goes by that we don’t see a video, a Tweet or a Facebook post of a Black person facing assault or possibly being shot or killed by a police officer, the very people who are charged to protect them. These police officers are not aliens from another planet, they are Americans like you and me and they breathe the same toxic fumes of racism that permeate government, popular culture, economic structures and social institutions.

We believe that Black Lives Matter not because we don’t believe that other lives matter too. That would be ridiculous.
We believe that Black Lives Matter because today in America, Black lives are still deemed less important.
We believe that Black Lives Matter because in America, institutional white supremacy has created a “casual caste system” that has eroded our social fabric and infected our collective psyche.
We believe that Black Lives Matter because today in America the New Jim Crow of mass incarceration has destroyed families and has had an enormous cost that has bankrupted the essence of our American dream.
We believe that Black Lives Matter because today in America Black people are more likely to be stopped by police, more likely to be arrested and more likely to be systematically killed than whites.
We believe that Black Lives Matter because today in America Black families still have to have “the talk” with their kids who continue to face racism on the sidewalks, on a playground, at a store, while driving and in the classroom.
We are at a moment in history where we can make a difference to create a more perfect union where every life truly matters.
And we believe that Black Lives Matter because when Black Lives Matter, then and only then will all lives matter.

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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

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Trivia Night at Busboys and Poets

By: Trivia Lord, the Minutia Master, the Human Wikipedia, Busboys Trivia Host, Max Johansen The First Takoma Trivia of 2019 kicked off with a full house and an epic three way tie! In honor of the (now record-breaking) government shutdown, the theme of our first trivia event of the year was: SHUT IT DOWN! Ten … Continued

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Everest Base Camp #15

The Sherpa of Sherpas Dawa is the name given to Buddhists born on Monday. In Swahili it means medicine man. In Arabic it means medicine. He’s been guiding these treks for ages. Doling out advice medicine to those who are willing to accept it. Today I am the fortunate one on the receiving end. The … Continued