Kevin Powell: Biography from Answers.com

writer; activist

Personal Information

Born on April 24, 1966, in Jersey City, NJ; son of Shirley Mae Powell.
Education: Rutgers University; State University of New Jersey, 1984-88.

Career

New York University, English instructor, 1990-92; MTV's Real World, writer, host, cast member, 1992; Vibe magazine, staff writer, 1993-96; author: Recognize: Poems, 1995; Keepin' It Real: Post-MTV Reflections on Race, Sex, and Politics, 1997; editor, In the Tradition: An Anthology of Young Black Writers, 1993; Step Into a World: A Global Anthology of the New Black Literature, 2000.

Life's Work

Kevin Powell was a poet and journalist before he got international--if sometimes negative--exposure on MTV's first Real World series. His byline appeared often in Rolling Stone, Essence, and The Source before he worked as a staff writer at the urban-music and culture magazine, Vibe. Powell has developed a keen perspective into hot-button issues that affect blacks and Americans. After he left Vibe in 1996 to pursue his writing Powell produced two respectable anthologies of black writers: In the Tradition: An Anthology of Young Black Writers, and Step Into a World: A Global Anthology of the New Black Literature.

Powell was born on April 24, 1966, in Jersey City, New Jersey, "a year after Malcolm was blown away and two years before a rifle stifled MLK," he noted in Step Into a World, recalling the assassinations of black leaders Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. He was raised by his mother, Shirley Mae Powell, who had migrated from the south to raise her son in a Jersey City tenement. Though his maternal parents could not read, Powell wanted to be writer since he was eleven years old. Powell's childhood was "one long misery session," he said in Step Into a World, "complete with hunger, violence, and rage." He escaped by spending Saturdays in Jersey City's Greenville Public Library, where, as he described in Step Into a World, he "overdosed on music, TV, sports, Hemingway, Poe, Shakespeare." Powell attended Rutgers University on a financial aid package and once he got there, he remembered in Keepin' It Real, he "wore my newfound black pride like a medal on my pumped-out chest." After graduation, Powell spent the early 1990s teaching English at New York University.

In 1992 Powell got his first taste of life in the public eye as a cast member on the original season of MTV's the Real World, which became one of MTV's biggest hits. Seven disparate twentysomethings were chosen to live rent-free for three months in a lavish Manhattan loft and to have every detail of their lives and interactions taped, edited, broadcast, and rebroadcast on MTV. Powell was shown having many fallings-out with his roommates, often about issues of race.

Powell was portrayed as an "antagonistic jerk," according to the Boston Globe and, after all was said and done, was bitter about the MTV experience. "The people were selfish, inconsiderate, and had no respect for people's differences," Powell said in the Globe. "I would never, never, under any circumstances, do it again." He claimed, as did other cast members, that events were artfully edited to appear more dramatic and controversial, and key moments were left out. Highly intense exchanges between Powell and his roommates were often taken out of context. His big fight with roommate Becky about race was broadcast, while Becky thanking Powell later for opening her eyes to African-American culture was not. Powell was accused of throwing a candlestick at roommate Julie in a fit of rage, but the fact that the incident happened the day the Rodney King verdict was delivered was left out.

The "angry young poet," as writer Traci Grant described him in the Globe, benefitted minimally, he claimed, from his appearance on the show. He considered the exposure a "Catch-22," he said in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution--while he was thankful as a young writer to get the attention, he also learned some of the down sides of notoriety. He found that people are "very competitive and insecure and jealous," he said in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and that the attention he received "was just a lot of hype." After the show ended, he continued writing for Rolling Stone, Essence, and The Source, all magazines he had been working for before the show. He received much flack for his honest essay that appeared in Essence in 1992, called "The Sexist in Me." He eventually was hired as a staff writer at Vibe, where he worked until 1996. He also published a book of poetry, called Recognize: Poems, in 1995.

For his first effort as an editor, Powell coedited a collection of poetry and fiction called In the Tradition: An Anthology of Young Black Writers, which was published in 1993. Critic Angela Kinamore wrote in Essence, "It's a well-crafted collection ... that should be read by all who want to know what's on the minds of young people." Kinamore felt that the anthology, which contained works about politics, hip-hop, and black ancestry, was an indication that there was a "new literary movement coming forth."

By 1997 the bad memories of the Real World may have faded a bit, and Powell hoped to "put some distance between me and Vibe and MTV" he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He published collection of essays titled Keepin' It Real: Post-MTV Reflections on Race, Sex, and Politics. In the book's introduction, Powell states that the book is his way of exploring black and American issues. According to critic Deborah Gregory in Essence, the writer put "many of his 'issues' under a microscope to magnify the larger isms that plague America." Critic Mary Carroll, in a Booklist review, wrote, "Powell's lucid essays give abstract social and cultural issues a human face."

In 2000 Powell edited his second collection of black writers called Step Into a World: A Global Anthology of the New Black Literature. The book features a diverse group of 104 contemporary writers--famous and obscure, aged 23 to 43, and from nine countries and three continents. Inclusion in the book, rather than requiring a certain criteria, was based mostly on Powell's taste. His picks include "previously published writing he has read and liked," according to critic Bakari Kitwana in the Progressive, and that selection provides "interesting writing ... that covers an adequate range of issues that speak to this generation." However, Kitwana deemed the collection "hardly comprehensive."

Step Into a World, organized under the headings of essays, hip-hop journalism, criticism, fiction, poetry, and dialogue, reflects "the diversity of talent" among a group of writers who are "generally lumped together under the heading of black writers," wrote critic Vanessa Bush in the Booklist. With the collection, Bush continued, Powell "celebrates the enduring artistry and worth" among black writers. Library Journal critic Roger A. Berger wrote that the collection "maintains a precarious balance between authentic discovery and promotional marketing," with the "quality and relevance" of the writing varying widely. Kitwana praised Powell's collection in the Progressive: "If Black America's divided generations are going to understand each other better," reading the book would be "a good place to start."

Powell's own contribution to the anthology, an essay titled "The Word Movement," explores a contemporary turn in black communication--he celebrates hip-hop journalism, spoken word, and the works of such New York writers as Greg Tate and Lisa Jones, among others he sees as pioneers of this new literary movement. Powell labels all young black writers part of this renaissance. "I wanted this anthology to be regarded as a definitive text of this era, as the mouthpiece for the Word Movement, much in the same way that The New Negro and Black Fire represented their times," he wrote in the introduction to Step Into a World. "If I was going to do this, I thought, I would like to cast a wide net in search of some of the best and brightest writers of the Word Movement."

Powell has accomplished a great deal in his life. In Keepin' It Real: Post-MTV Reflections on Race, Sex, and Politics, Powell wrote: "Over the course of the last decade I've been a flag-waving patriot, a Christian, an atheist, a Muslim, a student leader, a homeless person, a pauper, a loner, a social worker, a poet, a misogynist, an English instructor, an MTV 'star,' a full-time journalist, an egomaniac, a manic-depressive, a bully, a punk, an optimist, a pessimist" But above all, Powell continued, he remained "someone who is always trying to find and tell the truth as I see it."

Works

Selected writings

(Editor) In the Tradition: An Anthology of Young Black Writers, Harlem Writers Press, 1993.
Recognize: Poems, Harlem River Press, 1995.
Keepin' It Real: Post-MTV Reflections on Race, Sex, and Politics, One World/Ballantine, 1997.
(Editor) Step Into a World: A Global Anthology of the New Black Literature, John Wiley & Sons, 2000.

Writings

Kevin Powell has written for publications such as Esquire, Newsweek, The Washington Post, Essence, Rolling Stone, New York Amsterdam News, and Vibe, where he was a founding staff member and served as a senior writer. He interviewed and profiled General Colin Powell and Tupac Shakur. Most recently, he has been a Writing Fellow for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, as well as a Phelps Stokes Fund Senior Fellow.

Since 1993, Powell has published eight books, including two most recent titles Someday We’ll All Be Free (Soft Skull Press, 2006) – a collection of essays on freedom, democracy, justice, and race in America (as inspired by Hurricane Katrina); as well as the 2004 presidential election and September 11 – and No Sleep Till Brooklyn (Soft Skull Press, 2008), Powell’s second volume of poetry. An Essence best seller Who’s Gonna Take the Weight?, was published in 2004.^{[citation needed]} Powell’s latest book, The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life a “Must-Read”^{[citation needed]} Guide and Call-to-Action for Black boys and men to redefine their manhood for the greater good of themselves, their communities and the world. homeboy alone, Powell’s childhood memoir, is slated for 2010. To highlight Powell’s 20th anniversary as a writer, The Kevin Powell Anthology will be published in 2011.

Media appearances and lectures

Powell has hosted and produced programming for HBO and BET; written a screenplay; hosted and written an award-winning MTV documentary about post-riot Los Angeles; and, in 2001, was the Guest Curator of the Brooklyn Museum’s “Hip-Hop Nation: Roots, Rhymes, and Rage” — which originated at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.

Powell has lectured in 48 states at hundreds of colleges, universities, community centers, prisons, religious institutions, conferences, and festivals, as well as in corporate settings (including Harvard University and The United Nations). Powell is a frequent guest commentator on VH1, MTV, BET, and other media platforms, where he offers insights on popular culture, political, and social justice issues.

Activism

Beginning with his days as a teenager at Rutgers University, he participated in the student-led anti-apartheid movement – the drive to end racism in South Africa. Powell has worked on issues of police brutality and racial bias cases and he has worked for years around voting rights.

As a result of his own past struggles , Powell has committed his life to personal healing and professional therapeutic counseling. He is an outspoken critic of violence against women and girls, of violence in general, and he has been at the forefront of the movement to redefine American manhood away from sexism and violence.

Powell produced the 10-city “State of Black Men National Townhall Meetings” tour (2004), numerous Black male think tank sessions, and “Black and Male in America, a 3-Day National Conference” (2007) (www.blackandmaleinamerica.org). He holds an annual holiday party and clothing drive every December in New York City to benefit the homeless teenagers of the SafeHorizon non-profit organization. He co-founded the grassroots community townhall series Hiphop Speaks! (with social entrepreneur, activist, and writer April Silver), which he describes as "a series of forums and MC battles geared toward using hip hop as a tool for social change." Powell participated in Gulf Coast disaster relief efforts, facilitating the delivery of goods and services to the affected regions, and being a co-founder (with social commentator Jeff Johnson) of “Katrina on the Ground,” an initiative that sent over 700 college students to work in the devastated region.

Politics

In 2006, Powell launched his first bid to unseat Edolphus Towns in New York's 10th congressional district, located in Brooklyn, discontinuing his campaign in July of that year.^[1] In 2008, Powell ran for Congress again,^[3] in a campaign that was backed not only by celebrities such as Chris Rock but also by what ABC News described as "big names from Brooklyn's 10th district".^[4] During the campaign, Towns made frequent reference to Powell's self-professed early history of violence against women, issues Powell has discussed in his early writings and has indicated he has overcome through therapy.^[5] These references were addressed by Powell in an open letter to Ed Towns, where he also appealed to Mr. Towns to focus on issues.^[6]

On July 9, 2008, comedian David Chapelle failed to appear at a Powell fundraiser, despite promises to the paying guests.^[7] This was followed by Powell hosting an event at Brooklyn favorite haunt Junior's, where he invited the media to witness him respond to what The Brooklyn Paper described as a "mean spirited column" in the Daily News^[8] focusing on his history of violence.^[9] As reported by "Page Six," at a dinner on July 28, 2008, Powell "slipped up" when he told an audience of some "40 representatives of Williamsburg's ultra- Orthodox Satmar (Orthodox Jewish) community" that if elected, he would "bring home the bacon."^[10] Bacon is considered unclean and is therefore banned as part of a kosher diet.

On September 3, media reported that the Kevin Powell campaign had received a notice from the Federal Election Commission informing them that Powell was not officially registered as a candidate for Congress.^[11]^[12] As he was not a candidate, his continued fundraising efforts constituted a violation of FEC regulations, and the Powell campaign was asked to disavow such activities within 30 days. As of September 4, the Kevin Powell for Congress campaign had not filed its mandatory Pre-Primary report of all campaign contributions to the FEC, though the report was due August 28.

The same day these stories broke, local periodical The Brooklyn Paper announced its endorsement of Powell over 13-time incumbent and sitting congressman, Edolphus "Ed" Towns.^[13] But in light of these revelations, a Paper reporter broke news of the FEC letter and missed deadline and contacted the Powell camp for comment.^[12] This paper noted, "Powell did not return repeated requests from The Brooklyn Paper for comment about the FEC letter and his missed filing."^[12]

Powell lost this race 67%-32%, receiving 11,046 votes compared to 22,586 for Edolphus Towns.^[14] Powell has officially announced that he will run again in 2010.^[15]

Books

In the Tradition: An Anthology of Young Black Writers Edited by Kevin Powell and Ras Baraka (1993) (ISBN 0-86316-316-5)
recognize Poetry by Kevin Powell (1995) (ISBN 0-86316-324-6)
Keepin' It Real: Post-MTV Reflections On Race, Sex, and Politics Essays by Kevin Powell (1997) (ISBN 0-345-40400-9)
Step Into a World: A Global Anthology of The New Black Literature Edited by Kevin Powell (2000) (ISBN 0-471-38060-1)
Who Shot Ya? Three Decades of Hiphop Photography Photographs by Ernie Ernie Paniccioli, Edited by Kevin Powell (2002) (ISBN 0-06-621168-9)
Who's Gonna Take The Weight? Manhood, Race, and Power in America Essays by Kevin Powell (2002) (ISBN 0-609-81044-8)
Someday We'll All Be Free Essays by Kevin Powell (2006) (ISBN 1-933368-57-8)
No Sleep Till Brooklyn, New and Selected Poems Poetry by Kevin Powell (2008) (ISBN 1-564538-67-8)
The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life edited by Kevin Powell (2008) (ISBN 978-1416592242)

References

^ ^a ^b Hicks, Jonathan P. (2006-07-05). "A candidate drops out of a race for congress". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/05/nyregion/05campaign.html?scp=8&sq=jonathan%20hicks%20kevin%20powell&st=cse. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
^ Cheers, Imani; Crystal Holmes (2008-09-25). "The Audacity Of Hip-Hop". Newsweek. http://www.newsweek.com/id/160832. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
^ Hicks, Jonathan P. (2008-04-28). "Brooklyn congressman and veteran of tough primaries faces new fight". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/nyregion/28brooklyn.html?scp=8&sq=kevin%20powell&st=cse. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
^ Marikar, Sheila (2008-07-15). "Can 'Real World' star make it in real-life politics?". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=5374287&page=1. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
^ Hicks, Jonathan P. (2008-08-15). "House race in Brooklyn focuses on women". New York Times. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/15/house-race-in-brooklyn-focuses-on-women/. Retrieved 2008-10-14. "Over the last few months, Mr. Towns has been quick to criticize his opponent, consistently raising one issue: Mr. Powell revealed in an autobiographical book five years ago that he had engaged in acts of violence against women earlier in his life."
^ Powell, Kevin (2008-07-21). "Open letter to congressman Ed Towns". Huffington Post.
^ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.7273/title.dave-chappelle-to-appear-at-kevin-powell-rally
^ http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/07/19/2008-07-19_chris_rock_dave_chapelle_and_other_stars.html
^ http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/30/31_30_politicrasher.html?comm=1
^ http://www.nypost.com/seven/08012008/gossip/pagesix/wrong_menu_122474.htm
^ http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?_28039812601+0
^ ^a ^b ^c http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/35/31_35_bm_powell_towns.html
^ http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/35/31_35_endorsements.html
^ "New York Primaries 2008". abclocal.go.com. http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/elections/wabcPrimary2008. Retrieved 2008-10-14. "U.S. House – District 10; Precincts Reported: 593 of 593; X Edolphus Towns(D) 22586 (67%); Kevin Powell(D) 11046 (32%)"
^ [1]

External links

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Donate to Wikimedia

	Suge Knight
	Omen (Rock Band, '80s, '90s)
	Poetry on Record: 98 Poets Read Their Work 1888-2006 (2006 Album by Various Artists)

	Who is billy powell? Read answer...
	Who is adam powell? Read answer...
	Who is Sam Powell? Read answer...

	Who is a Tazzah Powell?
	Who was Cynthia Powell?
	Who is powell gibson?

		Black Biography. Contemporary Black Biography. Copyright © 2006 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Kevin Powell". Read more

Kevin Powell

Contents