As Black History Month comes to an end, Denver poet JC Futrell is highlighting the role Coloradans have played in Black history.
The spoken-word artist and educator's poetry focuses primarily on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
He spoke with Jessica Crawford and Katie Lasalle on the Denver7 weekend morning show.
"I see poetry as a healing mechanism, a healing device vehicle. I've connected with people from all over the world through the power of the spoken word," says Futrell. "And I truly believe that it is kind of the great equalizer when it comes to being creative."
Futrell's love of poetry has a uniquely Colorado origin.
"When I found slam and performance poetry, it was the early 2000s," says Futrell. "I found myself wandering into the Mercury Café on a Sunday night for the open mic and the jam, and then the poetry slam that I had never seen before. And I just fell in love with it. Almost immediately, I saw poets get up on stage and reveal the most vulnerable things in their lives, and in their identities, and how they saw themselves. And I immediately felt at home and wanted to be a part of that community."
Sunday on Denver7, Futrell recited the poem BRICS, which you can watch in the video player above. The poem references history-makers in Colorado, as well as some well-known local landmarks.
"BRICS is a poem that I wrote for the first anniversary of the Black Resilience in Colorado (BRIC) fund. That is a scholarship, and loan, and foundational-giving program through the Denver foundation," says Futrell. "We work primarily with organizations that have a primarily African-American board or staff, and distribute services within African-American communities. And that first year, we had given out more than a million dollars to 62 different organizations throughout the state of Colorado."
You can find more of Futrell's work on Spotify, Tidal, and Tiktok. Just search for @PanamaSoweto.
To donate to the Black Resilience in Colorado fund, click here.
