17-Year-Old Poet Honored As 'Young Visionary'

At 17, St. Louis resident Antigone Chambers Reed is already a writer, actor and human rights activist. And earlier this month, she added yet another role to the mix when she was named the 2020 Jamala Rogers Young Visionary. The award is given annually by the Youth Council for Positive Development, recognizing young adults who are working for social justice and making a difference in their community. The council is associated with the Organization for Black Struggle, which celebrated 40 years of existence earlier this year. Reed’s project, Writing Through Trauma, impressed the selection committee with its vision to provide people in her community with a safe, creative space to process, heal and share lived experiences of violence. Making use of the $2,000 prize that accompanies the award, Reed expects to launch her free virtual workshop later this year. In this conversation she shares her passion for the work she is doing. The segment also includes pre-recorded comments from youth empowerment organizer Janis Mensah. In addition to discussing her plans for her workshop, Reed reads part of her poem "You Ask Me About North Saint Louis."