On this page you will find biographies for our speakers, hosts, and poets as well as resources for allyship.
Participant Biographies
Jo Scheier (Patricia Thrushart), Welcoming Remarks
Jo Scheier is president of the board of directors for The Watershed Journal Literary Group in Brookville, Pennsylvania. Under her pen name, Patricia Thrushart, she has published four books of poetry, Little Girl Against The Wall, Yin and Yang, Sanctity: Poems from Northern Appalachia, and Inspired By Their Voices: Poetry from Underground Railroad Testimonies. Patricia’s poems have been published in Tiny Seed, Muddy River, Clarion University’s Tobeco, Still Point Arts Quarterly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Feminine Collective, Curating Alexandria, High Shelf Press, and Northern Appalachia Review. Her nonfiction book, Cursed, was published by Adelaide Press in December 2021. Patricia is a cofounder of Poets Against Racism USA.
Our Speaker and Hosts
Ursula Payne, Invited Speaker/Cohost
Ursula Payne is a professor of dance and director of the Frederick Douglass Institute at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. Professor Payne was appointed to serve as the Slippery Rock University diversity liaison officer to the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office during fall semester 2021. She has served as the Department of Dance chairperson and as the artistic director of Slippery Rock University Dance Theater, and she completed the management development program for mid-level administrators in higher education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her research interests include higher educational leadership, dance studies, Black social and vernacular performance practices, Womanist and Black Feminist theory, wellness and stress management, pedagogy, curriculum development, and technology. She holds an MFA from The Ohio State University and Certified Movement Analyst certification from the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies. Professor Payne participated in The Ohio State University’s Archiving Black Performance: Memory, Embodiment, and Stages of Being project and over the past two decades has performed, taught, researched, or presented academic papers at venues and conferences in more than 30 countries.
Debbie Allen, Cohost
Debbie Allen helped initiate Poets Against Racism: In This Together in 2021 and is a cofounder of Poets Against Racism USA. A writer and editor, she has worked in journalism, scholarly journal and book editing, educational publishing, and other editorial fields. While involved in literature programs in the realm of educational publishing, she encountered a passion for poetry. She is on The Watershed Journal Literary Group board of directors and has served as an associate poetry editor for the online journal Poets Reading the News. Always eager to expand her role as an ally, she also serves on the Voter Services Committee of her local League of Women Voters chapter. Debbie is committed to combating systemic inequities, and much of her published poetry tends toward response to injustices.
Laura Grevel, Cohost
Laura Grevel is an immigrant, a performance poet, a fiction writer, and a blogger. She was a featured poet in our inaugural In This Together event last year. Laura has performed her poetry in Texas and Europe and is a proud member of DIY Poets and Poets Against Racism in Nottingham, United Kingdom. Her poetry is eclectic and includes works tackling the immigrant experience, narratives, and character sketches. Her written work has been published in podcasts, online zines, and anthologies. Laura’s latest collaborative YouTube video is called “Girl Walking Across Europe” by Poets For Refugees, which was created as an Act of Welcome for refugees.
Our Poets
Ambrose Musiyiwa, Featured Poet Representing Poets Against Racism UK
Ambrose Musiyiwa is a poet and a journalist. He coordinates Journeys in Translation, an international volunteer-driven initiative that is translating Over Land, Over Sea: Poems for those seeking refuge (Five Leaves Publications, 2015) into other languages. Books he has edited include Black Lives Matter: Poems for a New World (CivicLeicester, 2020) and Poetry and Settled Status for All: An Anthology (CivicLeicester, 2022). Musiyiwa supports calls for a support package and scholarships for African students who were studying in Ukraine so that they, like their Ukrainian counterparts, can continue with their studies.
Wayne Swanger, Featured Poet Representing The Watershed Journal Literary Group
Wayne Swanger is a native Pennsylvanian. His family roots are in Franklin County. He was born into a family of farmers and blue-collar workers. Retired, he now lives with his wife, Mary, in northwestern Pennsylvania. As a doctoral student at Penn State, he served as a graduate assistant in the university’s special education master’s and doctoral programs. At the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (UWO) he acted as advisor for the Native American Student Association and initiated collaboration between UWO and College of the Menomonie Nation as well as numerous tribal schools in Minnesota and Michigan. He also served as advisor for the Clarion University Chapter of NAACP. He and Mary are long-distance doting grandparents of Émile Wallace Swanger, their sunshine.
Cara Thompson, Featured Poet Representing Poets Against Racism UK
Cara Thompson is a poet, artivist, and self-described “Black Wellness Warrior” from Nottingham in the UK. Born into a lively Jamaican family, Cara writes works that celebrate her Caribbean heritage and explore the links between mental health and social justice. Cara’s writing has been commissioned and featured by a range of organizations, including the NHS Leadership Academy, Huffpost Black Voices, Oxfam International, and Simon and Schuster. More recently, Cara was announced as the 2021 winner of UNESCO Cities of Literature’s slam poetry competition SlamOVision, winning the international competition with her poem “Island Screams (Where Are You From).” Cara is also a proud member of the Nottingham-based poetry group GOBS Collective.
Girard Tournesol, Featured Poet Representing Poets Against Racism USA
Girard Tournesol has written almost daily for 45 years and published a book series, Psalms of Fern, in two volumes: Little Whittlings of Soul and Time Travelers. His poetry has appeared in regional and national literary magazines, including The Watershed Journal, The Bridge Literary Arts Journal, Clarion University’s Tobeco, RUNE, Adelaide Literary Journal, Pennsylvania Poetry Society’s PENNESSENCE, Poet’s Choice Awards, and Tiny Seed. Girard’s work also has been published online in Dark Horse Appalachia and The Indiana Gazette and on the website North/South Appalachia. His next project is a fusion of poetry, memoir, and fiction inspired by growing up in a northern Appalachia coal town.
Resources for Allyship
This compilation of allyship resources, listed in alphabetical order, is evolving. If you encounter any issues with the urls provided, please let us know by sending an email to poetsagainstracism.usa@gmail.com.
Africans In Ukraine Education Fund’s “Support for African Students”
https://aiuef.org/
This site offers opportunities to help African students who fled the war in Ukraine continue their education. These students have faced not only a disruption in their education but also, in many cases, discrimination, threats, and violence as a result of their circumstances. The purpose of AIUEF is to ensure that these students have access to quality education and are able to rebuild their lives.
Anti-Defamation League’s “Join Us in Fighting Hate for Good”
https://www.adl.org/take-action
This resource offers strategies for talking about bias and hate and addressing anti-Semitism and other forms of hate in various ways.
Brookings Institution’s “Why are states banning critical race theory?”
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2021/07/02/why-are-states-banning-critical-race-theory/
This blog post from November 2021 explores what critical race theory (CRT) is and what it is not and includes results of an assessment of proposed and existing anti-CRT legislation around the United States.
Brookings Institution’s “Why we need reparations for Black Americans”
https://www.brookings.edu/policy2020/bigideas/why-we-need-reparations-for-black-americans/
This analysis offers a perspective on why reparations for Black Americans are needed. It describes ways in which slavery, segregation, and anti-Black practices throughout U.S. history have limited the opportunity for Black Americans to grow wealth at a rate comparable to that of their White peers.
Council on American-Islamic Relations’ “Allies”
https://cairwa.org/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.
EducationWeek’s “What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack?”
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-is-critical-race-theory-and-why-is-it-under-attack/2021/05
This article discusses critical race theory (CRT) and the controversy surrounding it. The article is intended for educators but has information useful to anyone interested in the incorporation of CRT into K-12 education.
Indivisible’s “How You Can Be an Immigrant Ally Locally”
https://indivisible.org/resource/how-you-can-be-immigrant-ally-locally
This article contains information about supporting local policies that help protect immigrant families. Indivisible is a grassroots organization/movement comprising millions of activists across the country who support progressive social action.
League of Women Voters’ “Standing in Solidarity with the Black Community”
https://www.lwv.org/blog/standing-solidarity-black-community
With voting rights for marginalized groups in peril, this article from 2020 is as important now as it was then. The article emphasizes the importance of enacting legislation and policy reforms focused on creating systemic change in our government institutions, including policing. The League of Women Voters offers varied resources for helping change systemic racism through voting and contacting one’s representatives.
National Congress of American Indians’ “Allies for Indian Country”
https://www.ncai.org/initiatives/partnerships-initiatives/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”
https://science.nichd.nih.gov/confluence/display/newsletter/2022/03/18/Deconstructing+Bias%3A+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?”
https://www.edi.nih.gov/blog/communities/what-allyship
This article 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.
NPR’s Code Switch
https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch
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
https://thetoolkit.wixsite.com/toolkit/beyond-allyship
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”
https://www.score.org/blog/9-ways-be-ally-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”
https://smallbiztrends.com/2022/02/how-to-support-black-owned-businesses.html
This article addresses ways consumers can support and contribute to the growth of Black-owned businesses.
Stop AAPI Hate’s “Act Now”
https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/
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.