"I Am Not Dead" | Jermaine Hughes | Spoken Word | TEDxSoMa | San Francisco, CA

Lyrical Assembly

“Everything that was meant to be a tomb for me, I transform it and make it a womb for me.” In this captivating poem, Jermaine describes his journey from a dark place in his life to a place of joy and hope. After having thrown in the towel, he finds himself empowered by his faith to get back on his feet and fulfill his purpose.

Jermaine Hughes is a youth leader, facilitator, and spoken word artist from Oakland, California. Growing up in relative safety but surrounded by poverty and violence, he longed to find ways to help others in his community. He found his voice during high school at a Youth Speaks poetry slam. Later, his exploration in effecting change led him to try everything from organizing to proselytizing. After attending the School of Urban Missions Bible College, he dedicated himself to local and global missions working with kids and victims of sex trafficking in the US, Mexico, and Ethiopia. Recently, he founded a company focused on health and financial coaching for youth. He has performed spoken word poetry with Bay Area-based Lyrical Opposition (http://www.lyricalopposition.org/) for the past two years. His poetry explores the experience of a young, African-American male struggling to find God, justice, and himself.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx