Here are the morning’s top stories on Thursday, December 26, 2024…
- It’s been nearly two months since election night, when we learned Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States. And since then, we’ve brought you coverage on how different sections of our society are preparing for this new administration. Today we’re checking in with former US Poet Laureate and recent Genius Grant recipient Juan Felipe Herrera. He’s written extensively about the migrant experience in California.
Genius Grant Recipient On Poetry’s Role In Exploring Migrant Experience
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to conduct the largest deportation when he arrives back at the White House.
The migrant experience is part of American culture and has been a big part of the writings of Juan Felipe Herrera. He’s a former US Poet Laureate and was a 2024 recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship Genius Grant.
“Poetry plays the role of exposure. Kind of a literary approach where people can read about it. But the most important part is that poetry is an instrument that all of us can play. We can learn poetry in very young ages and at the library. And simply just by visiting our community centers,” he said. “A role here can be one of expressing ourselves. And that’s where we can begin to talk about how we feel. We can’t be silent. We can’t be numb. We can’t be indifferent. If so, suffering continues. Suffering expands and violence burst. ”
Felipe Herrera says poetry and any literature can give a voice to those who are often overlooked.