In a world dominated by social media, Toronto-based spoken word artist and motivational speaker Dwayne Morgan encouraged area high schoolers to explore the power of their imagination.
DRESDEN – In a world dominated by social media, Toronto-based spoken word artist and motivational speaker Dwayne Morgan encouraged area high schoolers to explore the power of their imagination.
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Morgan, 49, shared how using imagination transformed his life while speaking to select students at Friday’s 2024 Youth Diversity Symposium at the Lambton Kent composite school in Dresden.
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He said there is a generation of young people whose only reading for enjoyment and personal interest is captions on Instagram.
Many believe “somehow how that is preparing you for who you are going to be in life,” Morgan said. “And you are so sadly mistaken.”
When you read a book without pictures, your brain takes the words and creates a picture, he said.
“That is the power of the human brain,” Morgan said. “You can see things that do not exist right in front of you.”
Morgan stressed the power of using your imagination to unlock your potential.
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It happened to him when he decided to enter a school talent contest even though he couldn’t rap, sing or dance like many of his friends.
He decided to write a poem and it was the first thing anyone ever said he was good at.
“So, I didn’t wait for a second thing to come around” and decided to pursue it as a living, Morgan said. “Then I had to put the energy and the work behind the idea in order to make things happen.”
Art, identity and belonging was the theme of the symposium aimed to support equity-seeking champions within the Lambton Kent District school board to foster a sense of community and understanding among students from diverse backgrounds through artistic expression and cultural exchange.
When it comes to being a leader, Morgan told students self-care is important.
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He said the relationship with yourself is the longest one you will have in your life, but some people are “in toxic relationships with (themselves).
“We find ourselves in a world where every time we see ourselves, we point out what is wrong with us,” he added.
Morgan said his message is about “appreciating who you are, appreciating diversity, and really understanding. . . you have to care for yourself first as a leader and you can use that to pour into other people.”
He also told students that representation matters, especially when it comes to seeing yourself reflected in society, not as a cliché or stereotype, but as normal and positive.
He cited the example of trying to find a Black doll that looked like his daughter. He added the same applies for an Indigenous doll or a doll wearing a hijab.
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“We have to ask ourselves, ‘What is the conversation that happens within that child when they go into the doll aisle and there is no doll that looks like them?’
“In that moment they are realizing ‘You are not the choice, nobody wants you. Nobody wants to play with you,’ ” he added.
Morgan said the first book he read, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, was the first book where he saw himself and gave him the power of choice.
“It told me that I could choose to be who people have been telling me I was my entire life or I could choose to be who I knew I had the potential to be,” he said.
Marina Thompson, a John McGregor secondary school 10th-grader, is concerned a lack of representation sends the message that people of color or different cultures are “not worth as much. . . they feel less than.”
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She has been inspired to “raise awareness to be more inclusive to people of color or different race or cultures.”
Thompson also hopes her efforts “may actually change the mindsets of those who may see people of color or race lower than them.”
McGregor vice-principal Derek Quigley said the symposium is an excellent opportunity for students “to be in a space with people that are similar to you, that look like you, that have similar experiences to you.”
Noting it is a great opportunity for students to see diverse, Black leadership, he believes Morgan’s message resonated with students.
“I think when they’re looking down the road, knowing the history behind them, helping to plan their own pathway is really important.”
Morgan’s message about moving away from social media is also a constant effort educators make to get students to put down their devices, Quigley said.
It’s important for students to “be present in the space that you’re in. . . and not worrying about what’s projected on social media, but worrying about what’s real,” he said.
He added the message includes thinking about the impacts students are having on others and empowering people and building positive relationships.
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