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“The men (and women) who create power make an indispensable contribution to the nation’s greatness," said President Kennedy in a 1963 tribute to poet Robert Frost. "But, the men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable. For they determine whether we use power or power uses us. When power leads man towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.”
As the COVID19 crisis continues, the only thing we know for sure is this: If we're honest with ourselves, we know this country—this world—is never "getting back to normal." What-Was is just that. More than 308,000 deaths worldwide, when this show first aired in 2020—88,250 (and counting) in the United States alone—ought to tell us that.
Whatever the challenges and opportunities ahead, dare we dream a world better, more equitable, responsible and respectful than the old one? What indispensable questions must we contribute? What "poetry" will cleanse this space?
This week on the show: #WordsMatter featuring these human rights activists, artists, and political leaders in order of being heard:
President John F. Kennedy, Amherst College, October 26, 1963
Fannie Lou Hamer, Democratic Convention, August 22, 1964
Deborah Hughes on Susan B. Anthony (Janus Adams Show, "No Going Back")
Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm announces presidential candidacy, January 25, 1972
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "Beyond Vietnam," Riverside Church, April 4, 1967
Ilyasah Shabazz and Janus Adams, Distinguished Speaker Series, SUNY New Paltz, October 28, 2019
Malcolm X, Oxford Union Debate, Oxford University, December 3, 1964
James Baldwin, Speech, UC Berkeley, January 15, 1979
Chris Rock, 88th Academy Awards, Los Angeles, February 28, 2016
Angela Bassett, Black Girls Rock Awards, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, September 8, 2019
Toni Morrison, Nobel Prize Lecture, Stockholm, Sweden, December 7, 1993
The Janus Adams Show airs and streams live Saturdays at 11:00 am ET on WJFF Radio Catskill. Subscribe to our podcast (uploaded every Monday) and listen to past shows on SoundCloud.