Spotlight: "The Renaissance Minority Writers Movement" Petition
Happy hump day! I would like to welcome Shawn Richards to my blog today and he is here talking about the petition he started, "The Renaissance Minority Writers Movement". As a writer and lover of poetry, I quickly got behind this movement. Fifteen days ago, I signed the petition and here are some reasons why you should too... Could you explain how the petition to BET came about? [Shawn Richards:] The idea for [it] actually came about 10 years ago. Around that time I was just starting to get serious about writing. I remember watching the BET awards that year, and talking to a friend about what had happened on the show. We started joking about how there should be an award for black authors. We both ended up laughing it, but the idea stuck with me over time. Eventually, I decided to do something to make it happen. Why is it important to you to see literature and poetry recognized in the BET awards? [SR:] Because our kids need an alternative to what they are being con...