BAD POEMS: POETRY OF RESISTANCE, DEFIANCE & DISSENT

Join us at The Betsy Hotel on Miami Beach for the 3rd annual Bad Poems: Poetry of Resistance, Defiance, and Dissent, presented by Black Miami-Dade and Maven Leadership Collective.

Now in its third year, this gathering is inspired by “The Ballad of Sam Solomon,” a poem Langston Hughes wrote about Black resistance in Jim Crow Miami.

Together, we honor the hundreds of Black voters in Miami—including Sam Solomon—who, in 1939, met Klan threats and segregation with courage while organizing to claim their right to vote. Their collective power, defiance, and vision continue to shape the spirit of this gathering.

As we mark April as National Poetry Month, we invite you to learn about this historic moment in Miami’s history, to hear the poem Langston Hughes wrote about Overtown, Miami, and to pen and share your own poetry of resistance, defiance, and dissent.

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Host or Publisher Black Miami-Dade