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Jamaal Rogers speaks at Stonecrest Elementary School
John Curry
West Carleton Review I Feb 07, 2017
He's a hip hop artist. He's a spoken word poet. He's a songwriter. He's a
musician.
Yes, Jamaal Rogers is a multidimensional performer who demonstrated his
poetry, his storytelling and his hip hop at a presentation appearance at
Stonecrest Elementary School at Woodlawn on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
He presented to the assembled grade 4-6 students and then to the grade 7-8
students as a kickoff to recognizing Black History Month at the school.
Jamaal reminded the students that Black History Month in February is
important because Canada has a rich history of black citizens doing important
things for the country.
A self -identified Afro Caribbean -Canadian, he admitted that he did not know
Jamaal Rogers (centre) shows one of his 'Fly Poets Society't-shirts to three
the story about his own black ancestors until 2014 when he discovered that his Stonecrest Elementary School students.
great grandfather was Canada's first black postman, a position which he
achieved by standing up for himself and protesting his initial rejection for the position.
He told the students how his great grandfather Albert Jackson had come to Canada with his mother and seven siblings via
the Underground Railroad, which helped black slaves in the United States escape to the freedom of Canada.
When Albert Jackson encountered racism and rejection despite his qualifications when he tried to be a postman in Toronto in
1882, his case came to the attention of the then -prime minister John A. Macdonald. Subsequently, Albert became Canada's
first black postman, a position he then held until his death in 1918.
Jamaal said that finding out about his own history was important as it made him proud of his background.
But Jamaal was at Stonecrest Elementary School for more than just telling the story of his own black ancestry. He was also
there to recite some of his poetry which included poems about the puppeteer behind Elmo — a Muppet character on Sesame
Street, a poem about grocery shopping, a poem about his mother, one about his father, another about chemical giant
Monsanto, a poem about meeting your best friend and a special one about teaching his daughter how to ride a bike.
He told the students that he writes his poetry about things that he experiences in everyday life. He said that he likes using
words to express himself and to share stories about how he lives his life so others can relate to him.
Jamaal told how he had written his first poem as a nine-year-old in grade four, all about a girl that he really liked. But he did
not write poetry again until university.
Now, though, he has become quite prolific, with about 125 publicized poems as well as over 400 poems that he has written
but does not share with others as they are very emotional for him at present.
In addition, he has over 2,000 notes on his cellphone with ideas for poems. So he has no scarcity of inspiration for his poetry.
Jamaal also performed some hip hop at the school which he says is a musical form that rose from spoken word poetry, the art
of performing poetry in a way that engages an audience. Hip hop includes rap, which is one of its various performance forms.
Jamaal performed a rap song about feeling blessed.
Jamaal moved to Kinburn last fall where he lives with his wife and five children, four of whom now attend Stonecrest
Elementary School.
He is known as a performance poet and hip hop artist who uses the stage name "Just Jamaal."
He also conducts his own after-school program, is a residential counsellor for adults with disabilities, helps organize the
Urban Legends Poetry Slam and is the creator of Make Spoken Word Go Viral, an organization dedicated to supporting the
spoken word art form by highlighting poets across Canada.
Jamaal received the 2016 Ontario Arts Foundation's Artist Educator Award which is given annually to an Ontario resident who
exemplifies excellence in arts education, demonstrates a unique approach to his or her arts education practice, creates
meaningful learning experiences for young people, inspires connection to the arts beyond the classroom and maintains an
active arts practice.
Jamaal tries to use his song, rhyme and prose to create beautiful imagery.
Black History Month is observed annually in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom to honour and remember
important people and events in the history of those with African heritage.
It is celebrated in February in both Canada and the United States while it is marked in October in the United Kingdom.
It was in 1995 that the House of Commons officially recognized February as Black History Month in Canada.
John Curry is the news editor of the Stittsville News. He can be reached at john.curry@metroland.com . Follow him on Twitter and on
Facebook
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