The Moral Imperative is a collaborative project for the Spring of 2025

This project is supported by Just Buffalo Literary Center as part of their Civil Writes Project in concert with their BABEL Series featuring author James McBride, his book The Good Lord Bird and his BABEL discussion on Thursday, April 30, 2025.

Together, we will read and discuss The Good Lord Bird and Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community.
Together, we will attend James McBrides’s BABEL discussion.
Together, we write our truth as it connects with these works and specifically when we have felt a moral imperative.
Together, we will present our work and celebrate this experience.

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Community Canvases’ The Moral Imperative: We will invite community members to read James McBride’s “The Good Lord Bird” about John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. We will read Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” In April, we will participate in a book discussion and then attend James McBride’s BABEL talk. In May, we will participate in Kind Fools’ WRITE ON workshops to write reflections on when we have felt a moral imperative, when we have felt called by our values and conscience to take an action. In June, we will submit our poems and reflections for publication in a book. This project is organized by Kamau R.E. Fields, Hy Carrel, Samuel Floyd, and Chanda O’Donnell de Ramirez in collaboration with Just Buffalo Literary Center’s Civil Writes Project, Buffalo Latino Village Press, and Vilardo Printing.

The goal of this project is to provide community members a continuing opportunity to reflect deeply on their personal experiences and on how they relate to the topics in these books and this BABEL discussion.

The Moral Imperative Flyer

Activities:

  • Friday, March 28 5pm Final date to apply to join the core group
  • Thursday, April 3 6pm-7:30pm Welcome Gathering for core group (books distributed)
  • Thursday, April 24 at 6pm-8pm Book Discussion
  • Thursday, April 30 7pm-10pm James McBride’s BABEL talk (complimentary admission for core group)
  • Thursday, May 8 1:00pm-3:30pm WRITE ON intuitive writing group
  • Monday, May 12 6:00pm-8:30pm WRITE ON intuitive writing group
  • Tuesday, May 20 6:00pm-8:30pm WRITE ON intuitive writing group
  • Friday, June 6 by 9:00pm Deadline to Submit writings
  • Saturday, July 19 1:00-3:00pm Celebration/Presentation of publication of writings by core group

In June 2024, each poet performed their poem from “Heavy Reflections”

Heavy Reflections Poets

The Good Lord Bird is available from local bookstores such as Talking Leaves, Fitz Books and Zawadi Books.

For more information on this collaboration between Kamau R.E. Fields, Recovery Stories’ Samuel Floyd, Chanda O’Donnell de Ramirez and Community Canvases’ Kind Fools, please reach out to Hy Carrel at hy@kindfools.org or (716) 259-2725

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