Black Lives, Black Words poses the question: 'Do black lives matter?'

Black Lives, Black Words is a play that has travelled to several cities in the U.S. and even across the pond to the U.K., but each show is completely different from the next. 

That is because the play asks for local participation. In each city, Black Lives, Black Words asks artists in local communities to answer the question: Do black lives matter?

"There wasn't a lot of opportunities that were available to me, personally, to speak on the issues that were going on in the world around me," explains Reginald Edmund, the Chicago-based playwright behind this project. "I felt this driving need to speak on it, and I felt like I can't be the only one that has to speak on these issues." 

Today, Edmund and Motion, a Toronto-based writer, spoken word poet and MC who is set to perform at Toronto's show, sit down with Tom Power to discuss the importance of giving a voice to artists in black communities.  

Black Lives, Black Words will make its Canadian debut today at the 38th annual Rhubarb Festival in Toronto. For more information head over to the Rhubarb Festival website. 

— Produced by Cora Nijhawan