Poetry Is Pedagogy: Reimagining How We Teach and Learn | Dr. Kevin Wright | TEDxLasVegas

Quick Overview

Poetry is a vital pedagogy that challenges systemic inequalities by fostering critical thinking, advocating for marginalized voices, and creating spaces for joy and resistance, as demonstrated by the speaker's use of poetry and personal narrative to subvert dominant narratives like those stemming from slavery and racism.

Key Points: Black students experience racial discrimination at higher rates than their non-Black peers, particularly in less diverse institutions (00:41). The speaker, Kevin Wright, grew up near MLK Boulevard and learned that knowledge, particularly poetry, was his greatest weapon against hardship (01:39, 02:03). Poetry is essential pedagogy, not separate from teaching, serving as a means to preserve history, share culture, and inform the masses about current events (06:43, 06:50). The speaker cites historical figures like the Reconstruction-era Reconstruction and Maya Angelou, whose works exemplify using art to fight injustice (04:50, 05:53). Wright advocates for empowering learners to recall pertinent information about Black advocacy and dismantle anti-Blackness through critical lenses (07:34, 07:58). Poetry transcends the classroom confines, offering freedom through verse and personal stories that challenge the normalization of systemic oppression (10:12, 10:33). The speaker's personal experience of facing racism and the subsequent decision to become an educator and poet shaped his approach to teaching social justice (03:33, 05:21).

Context: This TEDxLasVegas talk, titled "Poetry Is Pedagogy: Reimagining How We Teach and Learn," features speaker Dr. Kevin Wright discussing the crucial role of poetry and the humanities in addressing racial injustice and systemic bias within educational settings. Wright draws from his personal history growing up in a historically marginalized community in Las Vegas and his subsequent career as an educator to argue that poetic expression is a necessary tool for critical consciousness and liberation for people of color.