Help Me, Help These Youth! Black Dandelion:Convergent Voice™
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Black Dandelion: Convergent Voice™ – Igniting Hope Through Literacy
"I no longer want to unalive myself." That’s what Amy, a 14-year-old high school freshman, told me after studying the poem Black Dandelion in her English class. A survivor of sexual abuse, racial trauma, and neglect, Amy found herself in the words of that poem. She poured her pain into a play she wrote afterward and said, “My pain is now outside of me, on the page—and the stage.”
This is the power of Black Dandelion: Convergent Voice™ (BDCV).
It gives voice to the voiceless. It helps children reclaim their stories. And it saves lives.
Jamal was in 4th grade when he read Black Dandelion. He could barely whisper at the time. Now, he stands tall and delivers speeches. In his words: "Stop fighting. Stop polluting. Help me grow like a dandelion."
A 6th-grade girl described dandelions as “sky acrobats”—symbols of freedom and safety.
Michael, at 16, confessed he couldn’t read or write after attending a BDCV event. But he made a promise: “I’ll learn to read and write—for Black Dandelion.” With belief and support, Michael started putting his first words to paper.
These children face the crushing weight of a three-headed monster: Poverty. Violence. Illiteracy.
But there is hope.
I’m asking for your help to grow this movement—to reach more children with healing, literacy, and empowerment.
Your donation will directly support:
- Publishing "My Black Dandelion: Book" – A youth-friendly edition of the poem complete with illustrations, glossary, thesaurus, and workbook-style critical thinking questions.
- Goal: $14,500
- Onsite Instruction and Enrichment – Professional development, private tutoring, literacy + science + arts remediation, and student public speaking programs at schools, libraries, and museums.
- Goal: $15,500
Together, we can show children they are not invisible. They are not broken. They are blooming.
Thank you for believing in them—
With hope,
Semaj Brown
Flint Poet Laureate
Founder/Director of Black Dandelion: Convergent Voice™
Learn more about this award-winning literacy platform:
Images
1. Semaj Brown Feeling Hopeful, Photo Credit: Emily O'Boyle
2. Alpha Esquires engaging BLACK DANDELION: CONVERGENT VOICE™ integrative literacy platform on a Saturday morning.
3. Eagle's Nest Academy at the Flint Institute of Arts engaged in art making via the 2025 BDCV theme, "Art of Unimagined Ecosystems"
Organizer
Semaj Brown
Organizer
Flint, MI