Sankofa
Drawing more than 100 friends, Mai Spann-Wilson’s keynote presentation and poetry reading began with Sankofa, a piece he wrote as a teenager. It closed with an impromptu recollection by his aunt, Diane Spann, of Mai at 18 as he shared Sankofa in a spontaneous performance on the side of the road.
Witnessing this early talent was an emotional moment for family members, Mai’s aunt said. Emotion was similarly high for participating Friends as they experienced Mai’s talent in the 40 minutes of spoken word poetry and conversation presented live during Mai’s July 30th Keynote.
Mai shared truths in neatly paced words, crafted with James Baldwin’s fire and his own Quaker love and truth. He named work he did in conflict resolution classes or therapy, asking hard questions, pausing several times to place keynote participants into breakout groups with framing queries for discussion. Two (of many) questions and remarks he shared from work he did with young men were:
Who taught that young boy to deal with the pain of losing his only brother?
How do you survive generational rape, beatings, killings and then get released out into this world?
These questions hung in the hearts of Friends.
Artistic Expression as a Black Man
Mai explained, “I often use art to try to make sense of my experience as a Black man living in this time today. I wear many hats, I am a poet, a licensed therapist, a business owner, a healer a musician, a rapper, a singer, a workshop facilitator, a mediator, a college professor, a social worker. Part of my life’s work is to help people align with their emotions. It is my belief that our society is designed in so many ways for us to disconnect from who we really are, and how we truly feel.”
He then read four poems. The first line of the first poem began:
Listen, I can’t afford to internalize any more black deaths.
The last poem began with the words of James Baldwin in a televised debate with the conservative William F. Buckley.
We all would like to believe the measure of our enlightenment or politeness would have an effect on the world. In all actuality, it may not. — James Baldwin
A Black Quaker Bringing Powerful Questions
One of the wisdoms that Mai shared was: “a powerful question is more important than the answers.”
Mai asked Friends to consider; “What have we done as a Quaker community to create spaces for Black children and adults to express their identity and their fullness, and what more needs to be done?”
Friends took this question into small groups, and readers are invited to likewise take it into their meetings and communities for discussion.
Mai affirmed these personal truths, and offered a query about queer Black folk:
I believe it is my destiny to be a Quaker, more specifically a Black Quaker, I prefer it that way; to call myself a Black Quaker. I prefer not to be called a Quaker of color unless I choose to identify that way. I, a Black Quaker, just as my Latinx Quaker allies, (we) have experiences that are unique to both of our communities and deserve to be recognized in their own light. There are times we should come together as people of color and there are also times that we should have private space for empowerment.
I know that as a Black person defining ourselves is not always something that we are afforded the opportunity to do, and somehow, living through the most inhumane conditions we have always found a way to define ourselves.
There are queer Black folk who may not make national headlines because of their identity: so I ask, who is trying to create safe space that mentions and talks about all Black life?
— Mai Spann-Wilson
Spirit, Art, and a Closing Poem
At one point in the evening, Mai was asked when he first knew Spirit was speaking through him when he composed poetry, rap, or music. He replied “I’ve written hundreds of poems, edited and rewritten them. But Sankofa came to me in 30 minutes. I know that was Spirit. It came straight from Spirit.”
He closed with a poem that ended:
A world of contemplation; a bravery that only the bravest will seek. To cultivate deep the soul where the stems start to seep and one can truly ask: What do I really need; who do I really be?
— Mai Spann-Wilson
It isn’t possible to capture the full impact of an artist, healer, and poet in a short article. Mai’s Keynote was recorded and is available on the PYM website. His music and rap are available on Mai’s own website.
Watch the Keynote
PYM has an Annual Sessions 2021 playlist on our YouTube channel.
There are many videos already there, and more are being added as they become available.
Feature Image: Steve Johnson on Pexels
