i lost my dad and three uncles, or three uncles, in nine 11. And because i was one of the kids of someone who lost so many people, i got asked to be and participate in the case against the people that they found responsible for 9 11. They needed an answer. I couldn't make the decision. But then a young girl told me she had read your book about how real leaders lead with love. In that moment, i knew that the answer to violence was not more violence. Answered a death was not more death. And i had to lead with love. You can't get everywhere by like, diagnosing and pressuring and and really trying to force people
My guest on today’s Best Of conversation, Cleo Wade, is a community builder, artist, activist, and the author of the books, Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life (https://amzn.to/2Ltivce) and Where to Begin: A small about book your power to create big change in our crazy world. She has been called the poet of her generation by Time Magazine and one of the 100 most creative people in business by Fast Company. Cleo sits on the board of The Lower East Side Girls Club, the National Black Theatre in Harlem, the Women’s Prison Association. Her art ranges from short, hand-written posts to collaborations with major brands and large-scale public art installations, including a 25-foot love poem in the skyline of the New Orleans French Quarter titled “Respect.”
In today’s conversation, we explore her younger years, growing up as a biracial kid in the famed New Orleans French Quarter with two fiercely-creative parents influenced, how Hurricane Katrina changed everything, what led her to New York for many years, how she walked away from a career as a rising star in fashion to rediscover and cultivate a deeper, artistic voice as a writer and artist, sharing her work online and in public spaces and leveraging her influence for social justice. Be sure to listen to the end, where Cleo reads a moving poem from Heart Talk.
You can find Cleo Wade at:
Website : https://www.cleowade.com/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/cleowade/
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