We see spoken word performances far too rarely on national television — and it’s a shame, too, because they can be incredibly powerful. On *The Queen Latifah Show*, teenagers Belissa Escobedo, Rhiannon McGavin, and Zariya Allen from the Get Lit organization gave an amazing spoken word performance, all about America. It’s not your typical patriotic classroom-approved fare, either: This speech is about the harsh realities of growing up in the United States. Their goal was to express how much more kids like them learn from the values of their culture than they do from their approved curriculums, discussing everything from capitalism to racism to poverty and gun violence. This is the kind of performance that will make you think — and leave you in chills.
Culture