Juanita Batchelor is an African American woman born to her two parents on an Air Force base in Missouri. Juanita moved to Springfield,Massachusetts at three years old where she later became a mother to her two children Darrell and Jajuana Jenkins and later became a Grandmother of five. Juanita's first experience in serving her community began in a healthcare setting as she worked as a CNA for several years. On June 4th, 2014, Juanita's life changed forever as she bore the loss of her only son Darrell Lee Jenkins Jr. to gun violence. Darrell's murder although still unsolved remains a catalyst for turning her pain into purpose in the fight for justice.

That year she began community organizing efforts to establish a support group MORE (Mother, Overlooked, Reaching Out, Empowerment)Inspiring Change Fighting For Justice for BIPOC families experiencing loss due to homicide and missing persons. In 2020 MORE officially became a 501c3 non-profit, offering support to all genders, youth, and BIPOC backgrounds. MORE's office is currently located at 20 Maple Street, Springfield, MA, 01103 and is open to the public. Juanita and the volunteers at MORE have hopes to expand and open a larger community safe space called the Darrell Lee Jenkins Jr.  Resource Center in honor of her son. 

 

 

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CULTURAL HEALING 

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CULTURAL HEALING is a family friendly, alcohol and drug free annual event that celebrates the year long cultural work in communities that encourage healing, recovery. and interpersonal communication to build cultural communities.  This event is a family friendly, alcohol and drug free annual event that will feature a Keynote speaker, UMass's distinguished professor Dr Amilcar Shabazz, Dj Johnny Juice Rosado of Public Enemy, member of Poetic Recovery, Wu Tang affiliate, and award winning M.C/Farmer “The God Life Giving Emcee”, community activist Darlene Elias, Maurice "Soulfighter" Taylor and many great artist bios from across New England. There will be speakers, workshops, lifetime achievement awards, and performances. 

 

CULTURAL HEALING is a program of Poetic Recovery founded and created by long time grassroots cultural activist, Maurice "Soulfighter" Taylor, who is a former abused foster child. This program highlights some of our super powers we posses as people, those powers are togetherness, listening, and being vulnerability. These powers have been forgotten or denied due to social programming from economic oppression, cultural appropriation, economic exploitation which has led to isolation and being disconnected from community and given rise to violence, apathy, addiction, alcoholism, and self destructive behaviors which stunts spiritual growth which leaves many filled with agitation and hopelessness. 

Having a basic understanding of our own power and practicing them in cultural form increases our spirituality and in turn our individual potential which when connected with other individuals with the same understanding increases our capacity to heal and grow healthier communities. The aim of Cultural Healing is to help people begin that cultural journey of encouragement free of harsh judgement with constructive criticism, full of mutual support, and opportunities to get involved in our cultural expression that also encourages civil engagement.

 

CULTURAL HEALING consists of 4 workshops  1: poetry/rhyming, 2: music productions, and 3: DeeJaying, 4 BBoy/Bgirling which are developed to tap into super powers of the attendees such as  listening, vulnerability, and interpersonal . These workshops will allow attendees to learn and obtain a  basic understanding, and knowledge of Hip Hop and culture expression. They will also access free tools to begin their cultural journey to take control of the narrative of their culture that will lead to a keen sense of self, self validation, building networks and communities to take on social issues. This feeds the mind and spirit and leads to a spiritual and cultural freedom.  

The following tools were developed by Maurice Taylor, founder  of Poetic Recovery Inc. The tool will allow the attendees to take back the narrative of their culture,  encourage healing, recovery, and building communities via cultural expression. Maurice "Soulfighter" Taylor, who is a former abused foster child,  connected to the positive messages and community of rap music led to the creation the nonprofit Poetic Recovery Inc which aided in his long-term recovery from trauma and addiction for 30 plus years. Over the last 20 years many lives have been touched by Poetic Recovery open mic, Poetic Recovery tools, and last year's 1st annual Cultural Healing event.

These are tools that Poetic Recovery offers:

1: Newsat11.org A collaborative project with Dj Johnny Juice, the Life Given Emcee, and Maurice “Soulfighter” Taylor to make Hip Hop the news of the streets again. Artists that submit A capella tracks about what’s really going on in their Hood can get their track laced by a customized beat by Johnny Juice of Public Enemy.

2: Poeticrecoveryradio.com. Online radio station where independent artists are invited to submit their music to share with people in society looking for messages of healing.

3: Poeticrecovery.us Is a Black owned and growing cultural/social media network where artists, business people join to connect, collaborate, promote their work with 30 sec videos and their tracks, sell products in the market place, business pages that are created here are given free advertisement on poetic recovery radio collectively all encourage buying local to create and promote local economies.

4: Clinics: Workshops on spoken word, Hip Hop and its elements, crafted as aids to recovery and healing so people can navigate their pain, create connections, and see the impact of cultural expression. 

Sincerely,

Maurice “Soulfighter” Taylor

 

 

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Maurice "Soulfighter" Taylor is a Lyricist, Spokenword artists, Dj who dabs in Photography, Videography as a grassroots cultural organizer working to bring community together via cultural expression and giving other artists doing the same a platform to be seen and heard on the Poetic Recovery Platform. 

 

Poets Soulfighter uese culture to encourage healing and addressing social political issues plaguing our communities. Founder of Community Against Hate to educate and Poetic Recovery is the space and platform for healing and being heard. Has been involved in community cultural work for the last 30 years. Performing at area colleges and universities I have performed at Harvard University, Indiana University, 2010 Social Forum. I created an after school poetry/hip hop program called P.E,A,C,E for k-5 students at Elias Brookings Elementary school.

 

EDUCATION:

• Associates - Computer Systems Engineering: Springfield Technical Community College
• Bachelor – Liberal Studies: Westfield State Universities

 

CULTURAL POSITIONS:

• Director of the East Coast Hip Hop Congress / North East Region Hip Hop Congress
• Founder of Poetic Recovery Cultural Exchange: An Open Mic and cultural space where different artists connect for cultural exchange and encourage healing to facilitate connecting ,build community, and cultural healing from social political issues, trauma through reading, cultural expressions, 

PERFORMANCES

• 1997: Created African American Cultural Society at Springfield Technical Community College.
• 1998: Created Community Against Hate. 
• 1999: United Nations. Performed for Economic Human Rights Campaign during March for Our lives.  http://economichumanrights.org
• 2000: Hartford Poetry Slam Team. Maurice was a member of the    
• Hartford Poetry slam team which came in 16thin Providence Rhode Island.
• 2000: Performed and organized artists to perform at the United States Social Forum on behalf of the Economic Human Rights Campaign. 
• 2000 – 2005 Voices For the Voiceless. Maurice has had the honor to perform at Voice For The Voiceless for 5 years in a row created by Jaime “Shaggy” Flores, sponsored by La Causa at Amherst College in Amherst, Ma. 
• 2006: Tent State University @ Umass organized panel and performance.
• 2006: Created Poetic Recovery first Open Mic was in Northampton, Ma.
• 2007: Featured in article in for Valley poetry on MassLive
• http://blog.masslive.com/valleypoetry/2007/09/maurice_soulfighter_taylor.html
• 2008: Competed for the Main Springfield Library poetry slam and won.
• 2009: Performed at Obama inauguration celebration at American International College in        
• Springfield, Ma 
• 2010: Co-founded P.E.A.C.E (Peace through Education Acceptance Courage and Expression) with Gianna Allentuck Adjustment counselor at Elias Brookings. https://valleyadvocate.com/2010/07/29/soulfighting-man/
• 2010: Performs at Justice for Charles event, a Movement he supported.
• 2010: Created the Poetic Recovery radio show at Westfield State University. 
• 2011: Co-Created P.E.A.C.E, Peace through Education Acceptance Courage and Expression poetry program with Gianna Allentuck, Student Adjustment counselor at Elias Brookings elementary school .That teaches elementary students in the most violent part of Springfield, Ma to express themselves through poetry to lessen the impact of the trauma of violence.
• 2013: Performed at Trayvon Martin Rally in Northampton
• 2016: Performs Improv  with Philly Street Symphony 
• 2017: Performed at Trumps Anti-Inauguration event at Flywheel in Easthampton, Ma. 
• 2018: Developed DVD project for The Movement Project so they can promote themselves.
• 2019: Poetic Recovery resides in 3 different locations. Springfield, Ma, Holyoke, Ma, and Easthampton, Ma.  www.poeticrecovery.net 
• Gazzette article https://www.gazettenet.com/Poetic-Recovery--Hampshire-Life- 22513426
• 2019: Developed a mini document about Spotlight Entertainment artist Kaliyah, titled "Coming for Age" https://studio.youtube.com/video/1LLFxUBGUUw/edit 

 

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