The Poetry for the People Block Party is a festival of revolutionary art and culture in West Oakland
by JR Valrey, Editor in Chief
The Griot Party Experience, a Washington state-based group of poets, thespians and other performing artists will be touching down at the Poetry for the People Block Party on Saturday, Black August 29th, from 12-6pm in front of The Women of The Black Panthers Mural House on the corner of Ninth and Center Street in West Oakland. There will be a free book giveaway, face painting, a jumpy house, performances and more. Everybody who is in love with Black community self-determination and freedom is invited.
Logic Amen, the leader of The Griot Party Experience and I did this Q&A so that our readers could know what’s going on, as the legendary Marvin Gaye would’ve said.
JR Valrey: What is the Griot Party Experience? How was it founded?
Logic Amen: The Griot Party Experience has two foundations: The first foundation is in the home/mecca of Logic Amen in 2016. 2016 marked the inception and birth of The Griot Party Experience in the form of a house party.
The Griot Party Experience House Parties selected a cast of Griots to perform at The Columbia City Theater in 2017. Hence The Griot Party Experience was officially birthed to the public in 2017, in Seattle, Washington.
The Griot Party Experience is the celebration of stories that heal via hip hop, spoken word, storytelling, comedy and theater. Griot is a French word that means storyteller, poet or metaphorically “The Blood.” Storytellers are the “blood” of the community. Griots maintain an oral tradition in West Africa. Oral history is a custodian of the cultural history of Black and Brown people.
The Griot Party Experience encourages the participants to heal via the celebration of story telling. Your story makes you human and anyone who strives to deny you of your story is attempting to deny you of your humanity. The Griot Party Experience is a deliberate attempt to help people claim and reclaim their humanity via sharing their story.
Freedom via food and fitness. Activating and practicing the agency that is opposed to colonial diets. The Griot Party Experience represents and support:
• Financial independence
• Physical and emotional freedom
• Autonomy to have a spiritual experience that includes a supreme being that looks like us
• Creating educational opportunities for us militant intellectuals that fight against ignorance and incompetence
• The ability and desire to redefine love that is unique to our healing: Love is seeing yourself in someone else serving the you in them.
We know it is what it is until you make it something else. The Griot Party is about making it something else.
Creating safe places to: Feel. Heal. Build. Grow. Ase. Agape. Namaste. Amen.
JR Valrey: Who does the Griot Party Experience consist of? And what role do they play in the group?
Logic Amen: The Griot Party Experience core members are Logic Amen, CEO, visionary learner. Tiffine Bradley, administrator. Elijah Mu’ied, performing artist, talent management, experience support. Leedre Stephens, performing artist, talent management, experience support.
There are over 70 People who have performed for and or who are in the Griot Party Experience. The Griot Party Experience is a movement and collective much like Native Tongues or Wutang.
JR Valrey: How did the Griot Party Experience hook up with Jil from The Women of the Black Panther Party mural house?
Logic Amen: The Griot Party Experience connected with Jilchristina during a trip Logic Amen, Tiffine Bradley and Elijah Mu’ied took to the Bay Area to compete in a slam competition and witness two sporting events. Amen and Bradley visited the WOMP. Amen immediately requested an interview with Jilchristina, she accepted and Amen used the footage to film a mini documentary. Amen asked Jilchristina if she would be interested in hosting a small spoken word experience inside the museum. Jilchristina accepted the idea and offered to expand the experience to a block party. The Griot Party Experience accepted the invitation.
JR Valrey: What is the history and importance of spoken word in the Black Liberation Movement?
Logic Amen: Great question. The earth story or history of spoken word and Black liberation technically goes back to any speech, conversation, song and or words spoken to support the freedom that is used to transition into liberation, which is essentially what we do with our freedom. This includes sermons from clergy, songs performed by musicians and the stories shared via rituals connected to culture and freedom.
Keeping this in mind, we look to griots such as the poetry of Phyllis Wheatley, the sermons of Nate Turner, the words of Ida B. Wells, Malcolm X, George Jackson, Angela Davis, Afeni Shakur, Amira Baraka, Gil Scott Heron, The Last Poets, Nikki Giovanni and moor. These revolutionaries remind us of the intersection that liberation shares with performing and literary artists.
JR Valrey: Who are some of the spoken word artists who have inspired you?
Logic Amen: I am inspired by Saul Williams, Black Ice, who recently passed, Elizabeth Acevedo, Toni Morrison, Rudy Francisco, Taylor Molly. Amira Baraka and The Last Poets.
JR Valrey: What is going to happen at the Black August Block Party?
Logic Amen: We are going to create a safe and sacred place to recognize the importance of the month of August when it comes to Black liberation. We are going to prescribe strategies for peace, happiness, conflict mediation, resolution and routines to support comprehensive health.
JR Valrey: What is the Seattle spoken word scene like? Who are some of the top spoken word artists out there?
Logic Amen: The Seattle spoken word scene is quality over quantity with stand out poets being Elijah Mu’ied aka Six Deep The Messenger, Tia Yarbrough, Jamaar Smiley, Garfield Hillson, Reagan Jackson, and of course myself, who won 2025 Poet of the Year.
I will say The Griot Party Experience is based in Seattle but truly, because it is home to many poets from Tacoma, Washington, it represents spoken word poets of the Black Pacific Northwest; therefore, I would include Caution and Christian from Tacoma, Washington.
JR Valrey: How could people get connected with you and the Griot Party Experience?
Logic Amen: We are seriously looking for moor people to submit spoken word and other musical content. Please check our website. Contact us directly via email: thegriotpartyexperience@outlook.com. And the phone number: 206-290-9919.290-9919 206) 290-9919
JR Valrey is a veteran journalist and Editor in Chief at the San Francisco BayView and can be reached at jrvalrey@sfbayview.com.