Poet Faylita Hicks reached out from San Marcos, TX about Writers for Migrant Justice and partnered up with Write Art Out Inc. and Manos Amigas, a San Marcos based nonprofit dedicated to helping migrants navigate the legal system.
Write Art Out Inc. is a local literary nonprofit based in San Antonio founded in 2017. Prior to its creation, a local collective of poets founded the Blah Poetry Spot to help spread the literary arts in the greater San Antonio area. The founding poets believed that community engagement was as crucial as the creation of art. Given that the poets come from a diverse array of neighborhoods and socio-economic backgrounds, it was important to focus on the needs of these neighborhoods as much as the city at large. Since 2012, the Blah Poetry Spot held weekly open mics, writing workshops, and community centered drives and fundraisers.
Write Art Out, Faylita Hicks, and the poets and writers of San Antonio believed our participation was crucial, our voices beneficial to the cause. San Antonio is a predominately Mexican-American city with a large immigrant population, as well as being home to one of the ICE headquarters. We will not sit idly by while Homeland Security and ICE terrorize citizens of San Antonio, Tejas, or any other cities. We do not agree with the broken immigration system and empathize with individuals who circumvent the intentionally convoluted process in search of a better life. Migration is a human right and deserves to be handled with dignity. The current administration is a monstrosity, out of control in its deliberate dehumanizing of migrants and asylum seekers.
We are fortunate to have been a part of this tremendous national event. We thank Christopher Soto and all the city organizers across the country for their efforts. We stand with migrants and demand change.
~Christopher “Rooster” Martinez Executive Director of Write Art Out
The Revolution (Relaunch) 