On this page you will find biographies for participants in Poets Against Racism: In This Together 2023 and resources for acting as an ally and learning about and combating racism.
Participant Biographies
Our Panelists
Patricia Thrushart, Host/Panelist
Patricia Thrushart writes poetry and historical nonfiction. Her fourth and latest book of poems, Inspired by Their Voices: Poems from Underground Railroad Testimonies, was put out by Mammoth Books. Her work has appeared in numerous journals, including Tiny Seed, Still Point Arts Quarterly, Feminine Collective, Curating Alexandria, High Shelf Press, Muddy River, and Deep Wild, among others. In 2021 her work was chosen for an anthology of Ohio Appalachian voices—I Thought I Heard a Cardinal Sing—and the Women of Appalachia Speaks series. Patricia edits the blog North/South Appalachia and its yearly anthology and is a cofounder of Poets Against Racism & Hate USA.
Dr. Michelle Early Torregano, Invited Speaker/Panelist
Dr. Michelle Early Torregano is an associate professor in the Department of Education at Pennsylvania Western University. She is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University, where she earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Language, Culture, and Society. Her research interests are educational policy for underrepresented students, multicultural education, and preparing pre-service students to engage in urban classroom settings. Dr. Torregano is an advocate for social justice and a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion issues on campus and in the community. She is currently researching the First Amendment and its relationship to academic freedom in the academy. A native of New Orleans, Dr. Torregano earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Xavier University of Louisiana, the nation’s only Black Catholic and Historically Black College and University. She loves to cook, listen to jazz music, and share the rich culture and hospitality of the South.
Manjit Sahota, Panelist
Manjit Sahota is a cofounder of Poets Against Racism (PAR) and a Nottingham, UK, poet who has performed in a number of venues in Nottingham and around the UK since 2016. Manjit has delivered workshops for several schools and local organizations in Nottingham, sharing his spoken word poetry to encourage others to write, read, and perform poetry. Manjit formed PAR in 2017 to rally poets, spoken word artists, and rappers to use their poetry to challenge the rise in racism and to spread the word of unity, humanity, and love. “Poetry, for me, is the memory of our history, struggle, and resistance,” he says.
Our Poets
Abíódún Abdul (representing PAR UK)
Abíọ́dún “Abbey” Abdul is a Yorùbá-Nigerian writer and the UNESCO Cities of Literature Global Poetry Slam Champion 2022. In addition to working as an English Language Lecturer & Assessor across the globe, she writes life essays as well as her upcoming autoethnographical memoir-polemic Stained Glass Eyes: A Memoir on Race, Family, and Multiculturalism, which encompass her schooling across Africa, Europe, and Asia. She also writes Yorùbá-centered short stories and poetry on social justice as well as topics celebrating our common humanity. Her work has been published in anthologies; she writes/podcasts for literary magazines, performs at literary festivals/events, and presents at academic conferences.
Dee Allen. (representing PARH USA)
Dee Allen. is an African-Italian performance poet based in Oakland, California. He has been active in creative writing and spoken word since the early 1990s. He is the author of seven books: Boneyard, Unwritten Law, Stormwater, and Skeletal Black, all from POOR Press; Elohi Unitsi (pronounced Ell-oh-ee Oo-nee-chee) from Conviction 2 Change Publishing; Rusty Gallows: Passages Against Hate from Vagabond Books; and Plans from Nomadic Press. He also has 68 anthology appearances under his figurative belt so far.
Maureen P. Medina (representing PARH USA)
Maureen P. Medina, a Filipina American, is the author of My Fears Out Loud and a Pushcart Prize nominee. She leads writing workshops, such as a virtual workshop she hosts monthly for Speak the Word, with the goal of healing, strengthening the mind-body connection, and normalizing fear. Maureen advocates for human and nonhuman animals, asserts that all oppression is connected, and—in alignment with the idea that none of us are free unless all of us are free (Fannie Lou Hamer)—hopes to inspire the pursuit of collective liberation with her writing.
Robert Punton (representing PAR UK)
Robert Punton is a lifelong Socialist and social campaigner. His role as a disabled rights activist for over 35 years has taken him onto the streets and into the roads all over the UK. He has stormed parliament and stood for parliament. He has chained himself to the White House alongside his American comrades in ADAPT, American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today. Since Robert and Manjit Sahota formed Poets Against Racism in 2017, they have worked toward using words and verse to bring social justice from the realms of dreams into the real world. Robert is happy that Poets Against Racism has become a responsible export to America and that he works with fabulous poets and activists on both sides of the Atlantic.
Resources for Acting as Ally and Learning About and Combating Racism
This compilation of resources, listed in alphabetical order, is evolving. If you encounter any issues with the links provided in the titles, please let us know by sending an email to poetsagainstracism.usa@gmail.com.
Anti-Defamation League’s “Join Us in Fighting Hate for Good”
This resource offers strategies for talking about bias and hate and addressing anti-Semitism and other forms of hate in various ways.
Brennan Center for Justice’s “Voting Laws Roundup: February 2023”
This report discusses the record-breaking onslaught of restrictive voting legislation introduced by state legislatures at the beginning of 2023. As Brennan Center notes, “restrictive legislation often disproportionately impacts voters of color, and…research has demonstrated the outsized racially discriminatory impact even one voting provision can have on voters.”
Color of Change is a racial justice movement focused on making gains for Black people and their allies. The group provides its members with information about meaningful actions they can take to fight for racial justice.
Council on American-Islamic Relations’ “Allies”
This page offers a collection of tools that can be used to participate in allyship with Muslim Americans. The Council on American-Islamic Relations is a nonprofit grassroots civil rights and advocacy group.
His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice
In this award-winning and sweeping biography of George Floyd, Washington Post reporters Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa explore systemic racism’s multi-ranging effects on George Floyd’s life and the global impacts of his death.
Impactful Ninja’s “9 Best Charities for Helping Immigrants”
Charities were chosen for this list on the basis of their impact on immigrants’ lives. They provide services to immigrants, bring awareness to issues that affect immigrants, and advocate for immigrant rights. More information is available on the charities’ websites, which are linked to from the page.
Each year on October 22nd, the October 22 Coalition to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation calls for those who have been affected by police brutality and their supporters to take to the streets in opposition of this nationwide scourge.
National Congress of American Indians’ “Allies for Indian Country”
This website provides resources for learning about tribal nations and being allies to Native Peoples. Formed in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is an American Indian and Alaska Native organization serving the broad interests of tribal governments and communities.
National Institutes of Health’s “Deconstructing Bias: Allyship”
This article describes the work involved in being an ally, beginning with understanding one’s own identity and how that identity is affected by diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility issues.
National Institutes of Health’s “What Is Allyship?”
This article from 2021 provides information about what allyship is and who allies are. It is from Communities, a blog published by the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
This National Public Radio podcast is hosted by journalists of color and features conversations about race on a wide variety of topics.
Rochester (MN) Racial Justice Toolkit
This tool kit is a compilation of articles, guides, news stories, videos, social media messages, and other tools from several online sources on racial justice and Black Lives Matter activism. This resource is intended for the Rochester, MN, community but has broad applicability.
SCORE’s “9 Ways To Be An Ally for Black Professionals and Business Owners
This page offers strategies for being an ally to Black professionals and business owners. SCORE, the nation’s largest network of volunteer expert business mentors, identified the strategies by gathering insights from business owners and other leaders.
Small Business Trends’ “Ways to Support a Black Business Owner or Black Owned Business”
This article addresses ways consumers can support and contribute to the growth of Black-owned businesses and includes links to organizations that support Black-owned small businesses.
This page offers information about how to stand in solidarity with the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. The Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council, Chinese for Affirmative Action, and the Asian American Studies Department of San Francisco State University launched the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center website in response to increased hate crimes against members of the AAPI community.
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Law Library’s “Police Violence: Reading List”
This continually updated page offers access to a wide variety of informational sources on the topic of police-involved violence. Categories of information sources include books, online resources, academic papers, Supreme Court cases, and data.