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<\/a>Announcing Poetry451 and #CDCpoetryflood<\/h2>\nOur first call to action is #CDCpoetryflood.<\/a> It\u00a0was born in immediate response to a Washington Post<\/em> report<\/a> of the banning (or silencing, if you prefer)* of seven words from the official budgetary documents of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): vulnerable, diversity, transgender, entitlement, fetus, science-based, and evidence-based. This silencing cuts across the spectrum of constituencies that the Trump administration would like to disappear: the LGBTQ community, reproductive rights defenders, scientific climate change professionals and activists, not to mention the poor and working class.<\/p>\n As a writer, my first response was to start writing. The form this writing took was a poem, using six of these words. And right after that, I decided to ask people to join me. As of right now, over 150 people have committed to write poems using at least three of the CDC “dirty words” \u00a0and to SEND THEM TO THE CDC and WHITE HOUSE! \u00a0The latter part is important. Writing converts your frustration and anger into creativity, but getting the work in the mail converts your creativity into DIRECT ACTION.<\/p>\n If you are on Facebook, go to our #CDCpoetryflood event page<\/a> and RSVP, both so we can roughly tally how many people participate, and so that you can post a photo of your poem on the Discussion board. The point of doing this is to get you that much closer to getting it in the mail. \u00a0And for your convenience, on or off of Facebook, here are the basic instructions and mailing addresses you can use:<\/p>\n We are flooding the CDC with art and language and truth, in hard copy and solidarity. This is all you have to do:<\/em><\/p>\n 1) Write a poem<\/strong> – any poem! – using AT LEAST THREE of these seven words: vulnerable, entitlement, diversity, transgender, fetus, evidence-based, science-based.<\/p>\n It does not have to be a fabulous poem. It just has to be your voice, used freely<\/p>\n 2) Print out your poem. Highlight the banned words.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n 3) Take a PHOTO of your poem and post it to the event page<\/strong>, using the hashtag #CDCpoetryflood: 4)<\/strong> (THIS IS THE REALLY IMPORTANT PART! Do you still own stamps?!) Put your poem in an envelope and mail it<\/strong> to:<\/p>\n Include a note explaining why you are participating. e.g. \u201cI am sending you this to show you that the people have your back! I support freedom of speech!\u201d Something like that.<\/p>\n OPTIONAL: If you feel like protesting more (please do!), here is another very obvious place to send a hard copy of your poem:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nPoetry451<\/a> is a project of poetic resistance to censorship. Not just literary censorship, but censorship and silencing in their multiple forms. Its home is currently on Facebook, but it will hopefully change and \u00a0grow over time, as we respond to ongoing events.<\/p>\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/516319892083997\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nCenters for Disease Control and Prevention\r\n1600 Clifton Road, NE\r\nAtlanta, GA 30333<\/span><\/pre>\nThe White House\r\n1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW\r\nWashington, D.C. 20500\r\n\r\nOr flood the White House contact form with poetry!<\/span>https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/contact\/<\/a><\/span>\r\n<\/span><\/pre>\n
\nIf you like, you can also honor the oral tradition by calling the Department of Health and Human Services (which oversees the CDC) at 1-877-696-6775<\/span> – RECITE YOUR POEM<\/span> to them. This is vocal resistance!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Again, in the future, Poetry451 will take on new projects. Baby-steps.Thank you so much. – Amy<\/p>\n
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