“Shake the Dust When You Leave From Here”: Denver Student Poet Morgynne T.

Morgynne T. is a fifteen year old high-school freshman in Denver. At our 2011 spring Denver/Rocky Mountain benefit dinner, she transformed lessons from history into a resonant spoken-word poem.

Introducing her work, Morgynne told listeners:

I have two rambunctious younger brothers (Kilauea and Celsius), and a wonderful little sister (Anayah). My father is from Fiji and my mom was born and raised in Colorado.

I have learned—through Facing History—to have a voice in defining who I am. To be an upstander for what I believe to be true and what I stand for as an individual. I—being bi-racial—have grown up around stereotypes within my own community as well as those from outside communities. When I fill out forms, I check the boxes for Asian/ Pacific Islander, Caucasian and Other by choice.

I would like to thank my Facing History teacher at The Odyssey School, Jeanne Boland, she was the first person who questioned me on what I believe and why I stand for what I do.

Morgynne's poem: