Poets read about their experiences at Amherstburg Freedom Museum

Poets Erik E-Tomic Johnson (left) and Paulina O’Kieffe appeared at “Voices and Verses” at the Amherstburg Freedom Museum Feb. 22.

“It doesn’t matter how we get here, we all know Middle Passage all too well.”

Middle Passage was considered to be the hardening journey for slaves when they were put on ships and sent across the ocean to North America.

It has a great deal of meaning for the poet Paulina O’Kieffe who wrote the words and read them during “Voices and Verses” last Sunday afternoon at the Amherstburg Freedom Museum.

Co-hosted by the museum and the River Bookshop, the Feb. 22 event was about honouring and preserving black history and culture.

“It’s a reflection of my experiences. You write what you know,” said O’Kieffe.

O’Kieffe was joined by fellow poet Erik E-Tomic Johnson who has just published a book and like O’Kieffe has written about his own personal experiences.

“I want to leave something for those coming behind me. I don’t let things bog me down,” said Johnson.

Music, especially hip-hop and Black culture is what inspires him to create his words and says it is important to push against stereotypes.

This is the fourth year that the Amherstburg Freedom Museum and the River Bookshop have gotten together to host an arts and literature festival and museum curator Mary-Katherine Whelan was pleased to welcome the poets.

“We wanted to bring in a new event to the museum, so we brought in these two poets. They write about their experiences as Black Canadians and their poetry is very personal,” said Whelan.

With Johnson’s background in music, and O’Kieffe’s talent as a performer, they were both very engaging and entertaining during their presentations.

“They are slam poets. It’s high energy and there is a competitive edge to it. It focuses on social issues and mixed experiences,” said Whelan.

With the support of the local bookstore, several books were available including Searching for Terry Punchout – a hockey book by Calgary’s Tyler Hellard, The History of We – words and paintings by New York Times bestseller Niccolas Smith and a couple of local interests including Meet Mary Ann Shadd and All Aboard Elijah McCoy’s Steam Engine.

The museum continues to celebrate Black History Month with a Trivia Night this Thursday (Feb. 26) at Windsor Eats Food Hall.

For more information, contact the museum at 519-736-5433 or visit www.amherstburgfreedom.org. 

The Amherstburg Freedom Museum is now in its 51st year and is located at 277 King St.

Poets read about their experiences at Amherstburg Freedom Museum

By Fred Groves