Justice Conference 2013: The Power of Words

PHILADELPHIA - Micah Bournes is an artist. He creates beautiful masterpieces that can tug at the heart of anyone watching him create. The difference is Micah Bournes doesn’t use a paintbrush, pencils, or any art supplies at all. He doesn’t use music or images, just the sound of his voice and the words in his head.

This weekend, speaking at the Justice Conference at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Center City Philadelphia, the spoken word artist revealed a masterpiece entitled “Rosa Parks”. The poem started with the famous refusal to leave a bus seat, but went on to define so perfectly the reason and the need for justice in our world.

Although the poem dealt with racial equality (along with equality and justice for all people) it didn’t point blame or encourage hate. Micah was clear that he has “no interest in separating the perpetrator from the victim from the hero. Humanity is all three,” and went on to thank the many white faces in the crowds of the Civil Rights Rallies. His quote, which was picked up and tweeted by many in the crowd said “We thank you for joining a fight that wasn’t yours and we thank you for realizing that it was.” At these words myself, and many others around the room fought back tears.

Yes, Micah Bournes created a masterpiece at the 2013 Justice Conference. He said as much in the few minutes it took him to recite his poem as anyone else at the conference, and his ability to use his raw emotion to tug on the heart strings of those watching certainly provoked thought and commitment to action in many throughout the room.

Is Justice Worth It? feat. Micah Bournes from World Relief on Vimeo.