SWAMPSCOTT — S.U.R.E. (Swampscott Unites, Respects and Embraces) Diversity is keen on drumming up healthy dialogue about identity, politics and everything in between.
The nonprofit organization held a string of events throughout April with award-winning poet Enzo Silon Surin, who encouraged participants to think deeply about the role society and politics play in our sense of identities in the “Expanded Conversations” events.
S.U.R.E. Diversity held three events, titled “Reclaiming Our Voices: Poetry, Identity and the Power of Community,” with an event that was adult-oriented April 12, and a youth-centered discussion on the 16th — as well as “The Ocean Has No Borders: Celebrating Community Through Poetry and Stories,” which kicked off April 26. All three events were held at the Lynn Museum.
According to S.U.R.E. Chair Keli Khatib, the organization’s work has impacted the communities of Lynn, Swampscott and Nahant, but the real work is just beginning.
“We had the three events, and we advertised to the communities of Lynn, Nahant and Swampscott, and it’s just been amazing,” Khatib said. She said that at the first event, more than 30 people came to participate.
She said that throughout the participants, some hadn’t read Surin’s novel — “American Scapegoat” — but when they came to the Lynn Museum, they were hooked by Surin speaking about identity and the role society plays in shaping that sense of identity.
“Not everyone read the book, but some people did, and Enzo asked participants to talk about what poems they connected to… He also talked about community, and even gave us some writing prompts to get us thinking,” she explained.
The next event was youth-oriented for people under 18, and Khatib said the majority of the participants were from Lynn. “There were some adults, but there were children about ten years old… And Enzo changed the program around a little bit to fit the audience, but I think it was my favorite — because most were high school-aged kids,” she said.
Khatib continued, “He would ask the kids, ‘Whose world is this?’ to inspire the kids, and one girl finally said, ‘Mine!’ which was just great.”
Surin spoke at length throughout each of the events about the difficulties of entering the country as an immigrant and how he used writing and poetry to talk about the sense of disconnect he felt after arriving in America.
“He was talking about these experiences that I never had, and it was heartbreaking,” Khatib said. “And I said, ‘My heart breaks for you, I didn’t have those experiences, but I appreciate you talking about this, and I’m so sorry.’” She said Surin encouraged herself and others to find points in his speech and writing that they personally connected to.
After the organization’s last event on April 26, Khatib said S.U.R.E. is committed to keeping the ball rolling and hopes to continue developing more communal discussion about personal identity and ways the community can come together.
