Support

Maya Angelou: $5,000 +

Singer, dancer, actress, composer, and director, She became best known as a writer, playwright, and poet. Her inspired poetry readings brought her work to another level.

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James Baldwin: $1,000 to $4,999

He pushed boundaries with his exploration of racial and social issues. His essays describing the black experience in America and against the separation of races were influential during the 1960s.

John Niewiek • John Hunting • Dematic Employee Association • New Holland Brewing Co • COM 616 LLC • Experience Grand Rapids • Stella’s Lounge • Fountain Street Church • Community Media Center • C3 • Founders Brewing Co

Langston Hughes: $500 to $999

Writing novels, short stories, plays, and poetry addressing many common experiences of black Americans from the 1920s through the 1960s, he was heavily influenced by jazz music and was instrumental in the Harlem Renaissance.

Forrest Locklear • John Hunting • Mark Sellers • Cascade Engineering • The Pyramid Scheme • A2 Irrigation • 97.3 The Beat • Outside Coffee Company • United Bank

Audre Lorde: $100 to $499

She described herself as a “black, lesbian. mother, warrior, poet,” One of the largest LGBTQ representative figures in American history. She fought the marginalization of African American and gay women.

Nadira Kharmai • Deanna Rolffs • Ryan White • John Whitten • Leodis Turner • Kathleen Devarenne • Wendy Taylor • Brain Vilmont • The III Collection • Feyen Zylstra • Marcus Ringnalda • Adrian Butler • Amy Nguyen • Shahad Alzaidan • Alynn Guerra • Nate Montague • Josh Hamlet • Leslie Newman • Jack Woller • Rob Standish • Prein NewHof • Wendy Taylor • Kathleen Devarenne • Aaron Turner • Deanna Rolffs • Andrea Wallace • Sharon Vriend-Robinette • Shane Sievers • Johnny Moody • Hanna Lambers • John Bouley • Joe Aukema • Steven Russo • Kimille Meyer

Allen Ginsberg: $1 to $99

Substance abuse and mental health issues in his youth led this prolific poet to write with an unprecedented rawness. This manifested itself in “Howl”, a poem that had to be defended in court against obscenity charges. He is regarded as a bridge between the literary avant-garde and pop culture.

Ann Bower-Jackson • Debora Jandle • Samoane Williams • Ellie Hutchison • Jennifer Frissina • Bill Fischer