DETROIT – Detroit is mourning the loss of award-winning poet Naomi Long Madgett. “She was indeed the godmother of African-American poetry.”This is from the Poetry Foundation:Born in Norfolk, Virginia, poet and publisher Naomi Cornelia Long Madgett grew up in East Orange, New Jersey. She earned a BA at Virginia State University (then Virginia State College), an M.Ed. Mentored by poet Langston Hughes, Madgett moved to Detroit in 1946. In her poetry, influenced by the work of Emily Dickinson, John Keats, and Langston Hughes, Madgett often engages themes of civil rights and African American spirituality.

DETROIT A Detroit poet and rapper is getting some big time national recognition for his inspirational message and it all started with a phone call from a very influential celebrity. Arbery and George Floyd shouldnt have died and if the system didnt fail us, they would still be alive. Kid Jay said he started rapping as a kid, but his career really took off about five years ago. I came up with a poem about Arbery and George Floyd and police brutality and everything that is going on, said Young Jay. What made me write the poem was the fact that as soon as I seen the George Floyd video, it kind of hurt me to my soul.