The joy that radiates from Darius Daughtry as he reflects on his life of words — poet, playwright, educator, role model — began in silence and sorrow.
He was an 8-year-old at Dillard Elementary School, quiet and withdrawn, when a teacher took notice. In his solitude and his manner, she saw an unspoken sadness. She offered him a notebook to put his feelings on paper.
“I was sad. Things happened at home, dad wasn’t around, so I was dealing with some things that an 8-year-old probably shouldn’t be thinking about,” Daughtry says. “She would see me sitting by myself, away from other kids — I wish … I can’t remember her name, for the life of me — but she was kind enough and insightful enough to give me this opportunity to find myself.”
It was a life-changing intervention, and Daughtry has spent the next 40 years trying to pay it forward.
The latest expression of that effort is the third annual Our Voices: Festival of Words, three days of events that begin Thursday and culminate with a free gathering on Saturday at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center and neighboring Samuel Delevoe Memorial Park in Fort Lauderdale.
The festival is an initiative of the Art Prevails Project, an organization Daughtry founded to amplify voices in the arts that often go unheard. Festival of Words is aimed specifically at nurturing a love for literature and the connection between literacy and quality of life in the broader community.
The main event on Saturday will have book giveaways, storytelling and readings, including by Ashley M. Jones, poet laureate of Alabama, and a mini film festival that will feature the work of Exhibit Treal Studios. In February, the West Palm Beach-based studio won its first NAACP Image Award for the animated short “Peanut Headz: Black History Toonz ‘Jackie Robinson.’”
Jennifer O’Flannery Anderson, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Broward, a sponsor of the event, cites the festival as “a powerful example of how the arts can uplift and unite a community.”
Phillip Dunlap, director of the Broward County Cultural Division, describes Festival of Words as the embodiment of his mission “to develop a strong arts ecosystem and ensure cultural opportunities reach every corner of our county.”
OLD-SCHOOL FLOW
Daughtry spent his middle-school years as a regular at Tyrone Bryant Branch Library, and a classroom introduction to Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” led him to the Bard’s immortal sonnets. It was also around this time that he developed an appreciation for ’80s-’90s rap duo Eric B. & Rakim, especially the latter’s complex lyrical flow.
“The ability of both of those genres to utilize words to make a change or to speak impactfully was very important for me,” he says.
Boyd H. Anderson High School offered Daughtry another influential figure.
“I had an English teacher by the name of Miss Elizabeth Bills, who saw some validity in the work that I was writing and encouraged me to lean more into myself as a writer. Her speaking those affirming words to me was everything,” he says.
Daughtry also had a head for numbers as he headed off to the University of Florida, but talked himself out of becoming an accountant, leaving with a degree in finance and creative writing.
He soon found himself doing the one thing he thought he’d never do: teaching. After a stretch at Lauderhill Middle School, Daughtry moved to Northeast High School in Oakland Park, teaching English, creative writing and theater. His own artistic ambitions began to take a back seat to something bigger.
“When I saw the transformative power of what was happening when I was working with these young people, I was like, OK, there is me as the artist and me as the educator and someone who is intent on pouring back into the community and giving more — and that’s where I need to be,” he says.
Among other endeavors, Daughtry spent four years directing workshops and in-school programs for the Omari Hardwick bluapple Poetry Network, part of the Jason Taylor Foundation. Last summer, he directed performances of his play “Seeking” at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
Daughtry has a unique ability to make connections with his audience, says Jan Goodheart, vice president of external affairs at the Broward Center.
“He is a skillful storyteller with a gift for making stories relatable and relevant, finding opportunities where artists and audiences truly connect in ways that go beyond the surface,” Goodheart says.
As an evangelist for flights of imagination and creative wordplay, Daughtry’s mission for Festival of Words is based on real-world imperatives. He knows the territory and his boots are firmly on the ground.
“I wanted to create something close to where I grew up, because literacy rates in the schools in that area are staggeringly low. Part of that is that these oftentimes are not content-rich households. So the more books you are able to get into houses, the more you’re able to impact the child’s growth from an early age,” Daughtry says.
Those who feel unaffected by what is happening in public schools or in neighborhoods on the other side of town should think again, he says.
“Even though you don’t have a child in the school system, you should want them to succeed, because a child exposed to the arts helps create a stronger and more well-rounded, empathetic, impactful and beautiful adult,” he says. “Whether you have children in the schools or not, you come in contact with these children all the time.”
DO WORDS MATTER?
These are interesting times to be in the word business, as communication becomes increasingly visual and computer-generated. Daughtry tells his young wordsmiths that when expressing themselves, whether negotiating a salary or revealing a matter of the heart, precision can make all the difference.
“Words and truth and authenticity will always be important. The ability to properly express what is happening in your mind and heart make you more equipped to be a productive member of society,” he says. “You can’t AI your way into soul. Not yet.”
Then there is the inevitable evolution of language, the incursion of slang and changing usage of certain words. In recent years we have seen three beneficial concepts repurposed into a pejorative acronym, DEI.
Daughtry says repackaging the individual words “diversity,” “equity” and “inclusion” into an acronym allows the speaker to obscure what they mean.
“If we really extrapolate it and say those three words, actually hear those three words, it’s a lot more difficult to say that you do not want diversity, that you do not want equity, that you do not want people to be included,” he says. “You’re able to use this catchall [acronym] that encompasses all kinds of bigotry and hatred that’s attached to it, but without actually saying it. That’s an easier out for people.”
A diversity of voices and the information to be gained by hearing them is especially important, he says.
“When you are able to hear other stories and other experiences, you are able to learn more. You are able to see how you fit into this world,” Daughtry says. “You have to be willing to acknowledge your own ignorance. Not everyone is able to do that.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Our Voices: Festival of Words
WHEN: Thursday-Saturday, April 24-26. Main events include:
- Lit Lounge: Opening reception at 7 p.m. Thursday at The Circuit @ Destination Sistrunk Cultural Center, 1033 NW Sixth St. Performers include Nicole Henry, Purple Flux, Marlo Vashti, Epiphany, DJ Rickyy and others. Tickets: $25, includes light bites and beer/wine.
- An Evening With …: 7-9 p.m. Friday in the Bienes gallery at the Broward County Main Library, 100 S. Andrews Ave., featuring writer and playwright Mahogany L. Browne, author Fabienne Josaphat, readings from youth poets. Admission: free.
- Festival of Words: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center and neighboring Samuel Delevoe Park, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd. Signature event includes the Children’s Village, a mini film festival, book giveaways, poetry readings, storytelling, workshops, live art and food trucks. Admission: free.
INFORMATION: OurVoicesFest.com
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and X @BenCrandell.
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