PHOENIX.–June 5, 2024–Spectrum Medical Care Center announces the launch of “Living with Pride,” a heartfelt spoken word project that features three leaders of the Phoenix LGBTQIA2S+ community. Each courageously shares their personal journeys through the art of poetry and spoken word captured in a collection of three short-form videos featured on Spectrum Medical Care Center social media channels.
Victor E. Avila, Director of Marketing and Community Engagement at Spectrum Medical, emphasized, “Pride Month is a time to educate the world about inclusivity and there is nothing more authentic than real stories. We admire how our community members became poets in the course of four weeks delivering ‘spoken word’ so strongly for the first time and are moved by what we hear in every sentence.”
Through a series of small group workshops led by renowned educator, storyteller and community development specialist Tomas Stanton at CASA Community Development Corporation, all three participants transformed their life experiences into powerful spoken word pieces.
The inspiration behind “Living with Pride” is the belief that through the art of spoken word, we can weave a tapestry of shared human experiences that brings communities closer together, “There’s a saying, ‘the closest distance between two people who don’t know each other is a story,’ and by allowing ourselves to listen to other people’s stories, we open ourselves to find the common ground of compassion and empathy,” said Stanton.
One of the poets, Eva Galindo, Director of Programs at Phoenix PRIDE, reflected on the project saying, “What surprised me most about this experience was learning that I was more vulnerable than I thought I was. You think that you have healed from certain things but putting them on paper makes some old feelings surface. I hope my story helps others.”
Each participant’s story is unique and offers a glimpse into their multifaceted experiences within the LGBTQIA2S+ community, which was an important aspect for participant Elijah Palles who said, “There are some parts of our community that feel underrepresented, and I do feel like my story will resonate with them.”
Reflecting on his participation, Thomas Slonaker said, “I learned a long time ago that anything can be overcome if you are secure in who you are but channeling that experience into a poem is something I will never forget.”
The “Living with Pride” spoken word project is a collection of three stories archived on Spectrum Medical Care Center’s YouTube channel. One video poem will be featured weekly on the center’s social media channels during Pride Month in June.