Ebenezer A.M.E. Church Poetry Ministry

02/22/2026

Thank you to all who joined us for the Ebenezer A.M.E. Church Poetry Ministry 2026 Black History Month celebration on Friday evening, February 20th. What a blessed and empowering celebration we had with Jonte Luki Barrett, as our Featured Poet. Thank you also to Djembe drummer, Doc Powell, who always sets the vibe for our celebrations. Our musical ensemble, The Psalmists of Solomon took "We've Come This Far By Faith" to a whole new level! Thank you, Sis. Christine, who directs the ensemble and lifts all within earshot to feel the glory of God. Thank you to those who participated in the Open Mic, and mostly, thank you to my Anointed P.E.N.S. family for once again ministering to the needs of our people.

I believe our ancestors would be proud. As has been said, "We are the descendants of those who refused to die." May we all find and embrace a purpose, create a space of safety, and a means to serve one another. In this divisive time, may we come together and celebrate who and whose we are, understanding that we each must do our part in the unfolding of history, no matter how seemingly small or overwhelmingly large that role is. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Happy Black History Month, everyone. Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who is recognized as "the father of Black History," was the forward thinker who established Negro History Week one hundred years ago, a time that was much more fraught with danger for such action than today. Let's celebrate and commemorate this centennial all year long. Ase.

10/06/2025

Join Saniya Pearson at National Harbor on 10/18!

Celebrate the book launch of Saniya Pearson, the 2024 Prince George’s County Youth Poet Laureate.

10/02/2025

09/16/2025

JOIN SISTAH JOY AND FRIENDS AT THE OXON HILL LIBRARY!

Join the Prince George's County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS), Prince George's Arts & Humanities Council (PGAHC), Maryland Humanities, and The Prince George's County Truth Chapter of The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) at The Oxon Hill Branch Library for a free multi-genre arts celebration in recognition of National Arts & Humanities Month.

This celebration takes place from 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM on Saturday, October 4, at The Oxon Hill Branch Library, 6200 Oxon Hill Road, Oxon Hill, MD 20745, and will include poetry, opera, ballet, Jazz, and visual art. It is coordinated by, and will be moderated by Prince George's County Poet Laureate Emerita, Sistah Joy.

Confirmed Guest Artists include Soprano, Karen Wiggs, Wilbanks; Visual Artist, Russell Lewis; Musician, Ben Sands; and The Brown Ballerinas of The Paula Brown Performing Arts Center. Stay tuned to this announcement as more Guest Artists will be added.
Register to attend this free event at https://www.pgcmls.info/event/14620684.

06/25/2025

Thank you to all who joined the Ebenezer A.M.E. Church Poetry Ministry for our 2025 Juneteenth celebration with the dynamic and poignant poetry of our Featured Poet, Patrick Washington; as well as the incredible performances of The Malcolm X Drummers and Dancers; and the soul-stirring presentation of The Psalmists of Solomon! We had an overflowing and uplifting celebration with delicious food (fried and baked chicken, potato salad, cornbread, watermelon, punch, and cake), cultural displays, festive music, and empowering poetry. It was a joyous Juneteenth celebration attended by guests from ages 3 to 93!
We also celebrated and congratulated our departing Ministry Chaplain, Monica Leak, who just completed a major educational journey, earning her PhD in Theology. Congratulations, Dr. Leak!
Thank you also to all Ministry members who presented original poems relating to our Juneteenth theme, "Honoring Our Ancestors - Celebrating Freedom and Resilience," and each of our guests, whether you participated in our Open Mic or not. Thank you for helping the Ebenezer A.M.E. Church Poetry Ministry's Juneteenth celebration be such a wonderful success!
As promised, here is the Ebenezer A.M.E. Church Poetry Ministry 2025 Juneteenth photo album, which I hope you will enjoy. We thank our Ministry photographer, Sis. Cat, for these wonderful photos!

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fphotos%2Fshared%2FyrlMMWXqQCOs-t-jQfgKcQ.wZXm8C7tU4cFFizS6cAn4X%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAYnJpZBExVkJwVURNUVh0SmVBSGIxTAEeSNjEiI_UcjcOb-mf6UFi9M3vlDHJlwIrHC4hnFEKfDBxAlgQnEE5sdQqXU8_aem_szh0Qh1-vYsT6xV5NqVx5Q&h=AT1jsjRDL2CnW5MiO7XokRxo_oP1VjCfI64wOTMRiq-gNugKELEELw0Wz6SP4do6OrwYnpR38DcV42eg_OCSFg5lj48YReRXbsApfSXNgUJcikUn2G7RU6ikqVC_WW05reeSSTm-8ggBozxmcA&__tn__=H-R&c[0]=AT058D7mywYtVkuIztZh6qA7Lzj6hrv2a4ZTvSr9cgfG1QgBgggadg8yS4OGe6pmHJ1W8wKe2ATbMMjXV7Xr69itdA4bwaHQpWLa7njt33eTmPDFKUqefr5noL9DI_ddbJR7xE6oe2b6xq8tTIaKPH0XZqmryCsvhppQhMdgiJlpQNBcdq6GSIkBgM7NpKda-w

03/19/2025

God is good ALL the time.😇🙏✝️💜

02/21/2025

Happy Heavenly birthday to musical icon and activist, Nena Simone!

“How can you be an artist and not reflect the times? That to me is the definition of an artist.” - Nina Simone

Considered one of the most influential artists of our time, Nina Simone – child prodigy, singer, songwriter, activist, and civil rights activist – was born in 1933. Simone, born Eunice Kathleen Waymon, in Tryon, North Carolina, began playing piano at 3, and developed an early love for classical music. After graduating high school with honors, she was awarded a one-year scholarship at the Julliard School of Music in New York City. With aspirations of being a concert pianist, the year at Julliard was meant to prepare her for the entrance exam at Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. However, Simone was denied entry, she believed, based solely on her race. The rejection sculpted her views on race relations and motivated her activism later in life. Simone composed music with powerful piano crescendos, complex vocal shading, and lyrics that expressed the best and worst of the human condition.

In the 1960s she supported the efforts of equality by penning and performing songs like “Four Women (1966), “Young, Gifted, and Black (1969), and the classic, “Mississippi Goddam” (1964) which lamented the slow progress of racial equity. Simone also performed benefit concerts for civil rights organizations including the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Calling herself a conduit between God and Black people, she said of her talent, “How do you explain what it feels like to get on the stage and make poetry that you know sinks into the hearts and souls of people who are unable to express it?...When you have this gift, you must give it back to the world.”

📸 Photograph by Monroe Frederick II. Johnson Publishing Company Archive. Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.