Meet the Teen Poet Whose Love Letter is a Call to Action

Leila Mottley, a native Oakland writer, is the 2018 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate. The Youth Poet Laureate program was founded by the Oakland Public Library and other community organizations and is a citywide effort to celebrate literacy through poetry.
Mottley's poem, "Love Poem to Oakland," offers a look at the changes she sees in her city. Watch the video to see Leila read her poem and to experience the Oakland sights and sounds she references.
For more about the Youth Poet Laureate Program: www.oaklandlibrary.org/teens/...
Film Credits: Liz Tril, Chaz Hubbard, Pablo De La Hoya. Music by Oluwafemi
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We are YR Media, a national network of young journalists and artists, based in Oakland, Calif. We collaborate with our peers around the country and with top media professionals to create stories, music and art that matter. We're on Instagram as @yr.media, on Twitter as @itsYRmedia, and on Facebook as @yrmediapage.

[@belovedwoman3398]

Leila Mottley your poems are amazing and beautiful. Please never stop writing. Your voice is necessary and needed.

[@CerritosMenifee]

I think Uncle Charles wanted a letter to Berkeley like this!! What are your thoughts?

[@SandStormXII]

💪💪💪

[@oomiesays]

Shit. Wow.

[@dearanxiety]

Almost 50,000 views on Facebook! Go Leila! facebook.com/yrmediapage/videos/1979408265507289