We are practitioners of art.  From music that spans the entire spectrum, to spoken and written word, to practical art-forms, we recognize the absolute need for art and creative self-expression.  Out of that recognition and the drive to make our community and our world understand the importance of these things, The Diatribe was formed.  We are students, we are teachers, we are creators, and it is our goal to do what we can to shape the future.

It is our belief that our youth hold the keys to real change all across the social spectrum.  We believe that their potential and their drive, if tapped into and unbridled, is what will ultimately shape our world for generations to come.  As students and teachers of art, we know how impactful it can be to have the right media to express ourselves.  From that, our mission is formed: to provide our youth with the platform, the stage, and the means to make their voices heard and to also let their peers and communities know that they, too, have the potential to become united and to make an impact.

Our Values & Beliefs

1. We believe that our attitudes and personal experiences are vital to the overall success of our poetry. We aspire to be transparent and honest and to move toward personal growth. We want to inspire youth to be the best versions of themselves, so must strive to be the best versions of ourselves.
2. We live by the idea that life’s hardships and trials develop every person into the individual that they are. Each of these stories has value and deserves the opportunity to be voiced.
3. We want to create a genuine culture of acceptance and listening. Individuals can begin to be vulnerable and work through their own struggles, addictions, traumas, and histories by sharing their stories and unique voices within a safe environment.
4. Inspire others to vocalize their stressors and hardships by doing so yourself.
5. We appreciate and embrace our (everyone’s) differences, but we want to eradicate the idea that our differences are what set us apart. In fact, we want to teach and learn the importance of valuing our similarities and common experiences as drawing us to each other.
6. We have noticed a pattern of violence in households stemming from miseducation and poor guidance of males, and that to break down this trend, we must allow males to voice their stories in an environment of change and transformation, inspiring our students to be cycle-breakers and rise above this trend.
7. We believe in the importance of compassion and empathy, that by possessing these characteristics, individuals begin to understand and care for people, environments, and issues that they themselves have not faced or gone through.
8. We do not believe in “normal.”
9. We believe that every person experiences life differently, yet that in these differences are common trends and cords that bind us together.
10. We aim to combat racism and prejudice and to teach youth about why these attitudes and mindsets are faulty, as well as their origins in an agenda that favors white individuals (especially cis-gender, straight men) over other groups of people.