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THE BENJAMIN FRANKLIN "AUTOBIOGRAPHY PROJECT" WAS A CHALLENGING 300 WORD CONTEST.
ONI'S STORY ABOUT GROWING UP GOING TO THE UPTOWN THEATER WAS ONE OF THE 20 WINNERS.
HER STORY POSTER WAS POSTED AT THE BUS STOP SHELTER AT 20TH & WALNUT ST.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
PANTENE TOTAL YOU TOUR
ONI RAPS DUNBAR'S "WE WEAR THE MASK" FOR MC LYTE & AUDIENCE AT CONVENTION CENTER IN PHILADELPHIA, PA
Professor Nikki Giovanni on the making of "Hip Hop Speaks To Children" & giving Oni props in this award winning book she created & edited.
Philly Scam or Paying It Forward? Is a biographical short story on the joys and dreads of a visit back to Oni's hometown, the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly affection, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Baptized By The Blues, a short story on how Oni's dream to play her bass guitar and present "Love Must Fall" at Morgan Freeman's Juke Joint in Clarksdale, Mississippi....came true!
PERMISSION 2 PLAY
Presents DEBUT!
With Professor Storyteller Kevin Cordi
A place where stories and more, are performed for the first time!
January 30, 2022 - Sunday - 2:00 PM EST
Add to your repertoire!
STORY CROSSROADS & ARTISTS STANDING STRONG TOGETHER, Inc.
A WORK/PLAY SHOP FOR ONE & ALL
Teaching Artists! Storytellers! Dunbar Fans!
February 12, 2022 - Saturday - 9:00 MT / 11:00 EST
"I listened to Peace & War this morning on your podcast Your telling of that moral message was incredible. What a blessing that the world is able to access and enjoy these stories for free. Thank you." Diane Williams.co, Author, Storyteller
Spoken word from Sister Wings, CD. A experimental collaboration video. Please excuse the low pixels in the photos...many were taken before HD. Oni wrote and delivers this mix over the groove of Samori Coles of lil drummaboy LLC, Philadelphia
An excerpt from the spoken word tribute poem, from the independently produced CD "Sister Wings, Spoken Word Songs Bass & Beats"
ASCAP (SR) (c) 2005 Words by Oni Lasana - Music by Samori Coles of lil drummaboy, LLC Philadelphia.
Please contact Oni for permission to use in classroom.
Order CD or download track here
full lyrics are enclosed with purchase of CD. If digitally downloaded, contact Oni for the poem.
Please excuse the photos as the pixels are not clear and were published before HD.
Create your poem with the first initials of your name!
SISTER WINGS & 'LIAS' MOTHER PERFORMANCE
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
BIG TRIGGER'S SOUND OF JAZZ & POETRY SHOW, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A tale on teamwork.
Mercer Museum, Pennsylvania
A poem of encouragement by Paul L Dunbar @ Tobago Library Services
An adult story on perspective.
Contributions to Sonia Sanchez Mural Arts Haiku project
Haiku's is a form of Japanese verse, written in 17 syllables divided into 3 lines of 5, 7, & 5
The following are my submissions for the project.
(C) 2012 All Rights Reserved
Make me dance all day
See me reach out to the light
Know me in a song
Travel unravels
Stereotypes fall apart
Releasing our fears
More than blood thru veins
Family tears joys and pains
Connect in one love
Peace, silent words heard
Inside our mind space in time
Whispers unknown ...ssssh
People make money
Money makes people mo' friends
Money goes friends end
Old houses light up
Walls reflecting our history
Murals tell stories
Let me tell you a story about a man
Who grew up in a colorful world, Black, White and Tan
His mother was Irish American from Kansas named Ann Dunham
His dad was from the tribe of Luo, Barack Obama Sr. was an African
As students at the University of Hawaii
Obama senior and Ann fell in love between classes
Even though racial prejudiced existed
among the ignorant masses
In those hatred days
Love between different races wasn't cool.
They got married anyway
And both stayed in school
Barack's father was born in Kenya a country far across the sea
His culture was different from American History
Kenya wanted educated people to help build up the land
So Obama Sr. went back to Kenya to help his countryman
Sometimes when people marry too young
It's not easy to stay on the marriage course
When things got difficult for his parents
Barack was 2 when sadly, they divorced
Barack means "Blessed" and so they were
The father and his beloved son
Barry, being a inter-racial young boy
Had much racism to overcome
His mother moved to Jakarta, Indonesia
and married once again
Barack lived with Asian friends,
appreciating the culture of the land
School was limited in Jakarta
Education is the key to success
His mother sent him to school in Hawaii
so his education could be the best
Barry lived with his Gramps and Toot
Who raised him up just right
They taught him not to judge people by how they looked
To be peaceful and not to fight
After high school, he went on to get his degree
At Colombia University in New York City
He helped people get jobs, housing and education
Working to build up community relations
Like John Brown and Martin Luther King, Jr.
and all freedom fighters who lived before
If you want to change lives, you have to change laws
Resist evil to help everyone, rich or poor
Barack enrolled in Harvard Law School
Standing out among the few
He was the first African-American president
Of the school's newspaper, The Havard Law Review
Barack wrote a book about his dad, played basketball
wrote poetry in his spare time
But he always stayed focused on studying
about the Civil Rights of all mankind
He moved to Chicago to teach
After passing the bar exam
Professor Obama taught the Constitution of the USA
His classes were in demand
Times were changing, in changing times
He met and married a lawyer name Michelle
They had two daughters, Malia and Sasha
Barack became a family man as well
In 1996 Barack Obama became the 5th Black man
to hold a United States senate seat
For 8 years Senator Obama Served the state of Illinois
Young, old, city and country, he represented everyone's voice
Obama was chosen as the keynote speaker
at the 2004 National Democratic Convention
His message of progressive unity
Has the world's undivided attention!
Many people saw themselves in Barack Obama
African, Irish, Asian, Hispanic, Native, Italian, German
Obama gave them a voice, rising out of American's melting pot
Obama said "Yes We Can" and Yes! He was the people choice!
Was it finally possible a Black man
would be president of the United States?
Shirley Chisholm and Jessy Jackson ran before him
But it was not their fate!
So now as I share this poem
Some of Martin Luther Kings's dream came true
Barack Obama ran for president in 2008
Winning fair and square because of people like you!
"Do you realize your dreams are never out of reach?"
It was what Obama said in his acceptance speech.
"The hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believed that America has a place for him too!"
Barack Obama, was the 44th President of the United States of America
Who served the country for me and you!
(C) 2009 Oni Lasana
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