Birmingham’s first youth poet praises the arts: ‘Representation of black women’

The state of Alabama and the city of Birmingham both have poet laureates in Ashley Jones and Salaam Green, respectively. Meet Karima Moor, Birmingham’s first Youth Poet Fellow, who considers herself an ordinary young adult with a passion for creating and a deep love of writing.

The 21-year-old Birmingham native delivered one of her poems, “Unity,” at Mayor Randall Woodfin’s second inauguration in 2021 and released her first book in August titled “Married2theMission: HerArchy: GOD.” GIRLS. AND the American Church.”

“It was a collaboration with women from all over the US to talk about girls, God and the American church,” she said. “I felt honored to be apart and encourage women and men to achieve purpose and understand that they have been chosen by God.”

In July, Green nominated two women to serve as community poets: Moor as the inaugural Youth Poet Fellow and Maati Sanovia as the Adult Poet Fellow. “I am very grateful for this opportunity,” Moor said of the title.

She is also pleased to be named Poetry Laureate at the same time as Jones and Green.

“I think black women being the top, being the head, being what you see when you’re poet laureate, whether it’s for the state of Alabama or the city of Birmingham, having black women with that title is what people must see. because we not only have representation of black women, but we also have representation of black women…,” Moor said. “I think it’s beautiful and I feel great about it. I feel honored to be under these two women and for them to help me grow.”

“Make it art”

Over the summer, Moor collaborated with Sanovia with two branches of the Birmingham Public Library to facilitate poetry programming in support of literacy and summer reading initiatives.

“I was able to go to the summer camp for third through fifth grades and talk to them about poetry, how to compose poems, and how there are so many different ways to rhyme and write. You don’t have to rhyme, but whatever you do to express yourself, you can turn it into art. You can turn it into poetry,” Moor said.

“I enjoy reaching young people because I want to expose them to more openness of the arts. There’s a lot of time spent putting (art) down and a lot of talk about how you can’t make money from it and all these negative things. I feel like it’s my job to put a positive spin on it.”

She has always loved words and loved expressing herself with words, Moor said.

“I’ve always had a natural gift for stringing words together, but it grew in eighth grade when I had to write a short story for English,” she said. “I remember we had to present it all and when I finished reading mine, I looked up and I was standing right in front of my teacher. Everyone’s faces were in awe and my teacher’s jaw dropped. That opened my eyes to the truth and weight of my gift. I really feel like it’s a natural born gift. I can’t give credit to anyone but the Lord.”

Speaking about her inspirations in poetry, Moor said: “I love Poets in Autumn (the country’s largest spoken word poetry event for young professionals). I love greats like Maya Angelou. I love Lauryn Hill. She can put things together and has so much footage. You would think she is talking about men, when in fact she is talking about God. There are several ways to look at her work. It’s nothing short of amazing.”

Big decisions

Moor grew up in and around the city and attended Rudd Middle School and Pinson Valley High School, where she graduated in 2018. After high school, she wasn’t sure what path she wanted to take.

“I really didn’t know what I wanted to do, but there was the pressure of ‘what are you going to do? Where are you going?’ All these big decisions that had to be made. That’s all people wanted to talk about: What would happen after high school?”

A week before school started in the fall of 2018, Moor received a call from Jefferson State Community College. “The choir director called me and told me he had a scholarship, which was quite a journey… I studied theater for two years because I loved acting, and that was really the only thing I could put my finger on at the moment. And when the pandemic happened, I thought, you know, ‘I’m just playing around and wasting people’s time.’ I wanted to use that time during quarantine to figure out what I wanted to do seriously.”

Moor said she has been singing all her life. “I was in the choir at Johnson Elementary. I was in the choir at Pinson Valley. I am in the choir at church,” said Moor, a member of Faith Chapel in Birmingham, Alabama. “I don’t recognize myself as a singer, but I do have a voice.”

“Wise advice”

Since taking a break from college, Moor says, she has been able to return to her city “and help middle school and high school students move into the next phase of life. “

Moor, who loves movies and music — “it’s so hard to pick a favorite, anything with content that I love” — also runs several outreach programs, including College Prep U, a program called focuses on helping high school students figure out what their next stage of life is, and Breakthrough Birmingham, a program that helps high school students reflect and begin the next life process after graduating high school.

She gives advice based on her own experiences.

“Personally, I don’t think it’s fair that they have to make one of the biggest decisions of their lives at 17 or 18,” she said. “It’s a choice that will affect the rest of their lives, but that’s the reality, so for me it’s about helping them understand that you have to make your decisions with wise counsel.

“Do what you think is your purpose. Do what you love. Do what makes you happy and don’t do something based on money or what people tell you to do. If you’re going to do something for the rest of your life, do something that brings you (joy)… Think about the things you could do for the rest of your life if you didn’t get paid at all.”