an end note

Right or wrong, I think spoken word is where it belongs.
Spoken word poets are trying to adapt their image and their art to express themselves in a way that counters the mainstream media. They have been given crumbling shoulders of generations past to stand on and new resources and opportunities unique to their generation.
Each new issue that arises and each new challenge that is met head-on, gives spoken word an opportunity to be more, to grow and overcome the setbacks other movements succumbed to. Spoken word has the self-awareness, the political involvement and the commitment to community that gives it potential to succeed where others failed.
But spoken word is not really something that can fail or succeed. It is merely the reflection of a generation. It can accomplish earth shaking, ground moving things, but only if our generation wills it. Spoken word is a piece of a whole. A thread that weaves many experiences in many cultures together, binding them to create a picture of our world as it is viewed from poets, artists and activists. Spoken word will change as events shape our world. But it cannot be judged as good or bad, it just is.