Andre Bradford Returns to Weber

Weber was thrilled to welcome back national champion slam poet and inspirational speaker Andre Bradford for an interdisciplinary program for much of our community. Students in American Literature, AP Seminar, DZA Senior Capstone, and Creative Writing & Jewish Performance experienced Andre's performance on empathy, which explores the importance of cultivating empathy in all areas of life. "I loved it. I went home that night and read half of his book of poetry," said junior Ben Ampel. Andre weaves poetry, comedy, and research into a performance that is engaging, informative, and inclusive, challenging his audience to see empathy as a necessity, not a luxury.

 

Andre Bradford also gave a special performance to the senior class on reframing how we look at difficult emotions such as fear, grief, loneliness, and hopelessness. For senior Lilly Levy, Andre’s words were immensely helpful: "Andre’s performance taught me that it is ok to not be ok. It’s ok to be angry, to question, to doubt, and to not silver line what we’ve gone through. True growth and healing come from admitting you’re not ok and being with and supporting a community who feels the same.”

 

Both programs ended with a Q&A session in which students got to ask Andre a range of questions, from his personal beliefs to how he became a professional poet.