Described as "a homegirl with a hand grenade", Walidah uses her words to spark crowds. A historian at heart, reporter by day she stays true to the cause by "slapping ya ass silly with knowledge."
Not long after winning the first poetry slam she attended, Walidah went on to represent Portland, Oregon at the 1999 National Poetry Slam competitions in Chicago. The following year, she earned a seat on the west coast leg of the 2000 Slam America Bus Tour. As Portland's Grand Slam Poetry Champion she made her second appearance at 2000 Nationals in Rhode Island.
Walidah 's style slices and dices hip-hop inspired verbage with personal narrative. Author of children of ex-slaves: the unfinished revolution, Walidah 's words have appeared in the Portland Alliance, In Struggle, the Student Insurgent, AWOL, as well as on-line magazines. After outgrowing her work with the college newspaper, she started her own, which remains in print after 3 years. Her performances have been featured on Travel Channel's The Tourist show, the Multi-Voice CD taped live at 2000 Nationals, as well as several radio shows.
Walidah 's brought her poetic stylings to hip hop shows, performing with Northwest known bands; Source of Labor, Lifesavas and Black Anger, as well as with New York's Neosapiens. After moving east, she was a finalist in the Def Poetry Jam's Philadelphia competition, where 87 poets were culled down to 15. She has featured at the Nuyorican, Urbana, throughout Jersey as well as various venues in the Northwest. In addition to reaching out to adult audiences, Walidah has shared her poetic presence and insights with youth in the Portland public schools as well as a private New Jersey school.
From the louderARTS Project
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