James Curtis Geist

Modern Abolitionist Poetry The Park West High Poetry Club in Hell's Kitchen NYC James Curtis Geist

Modern Abolitionist Poetry was written by the Park West High School Poetry Club in Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan. The original document was created in 2005, poetry about modern day slavery and child labor, and was sold at $1 a piece. The Global History class of sophomores sold $150 worth, thus allowing three Sudanese chattel slaves to have their freedom purchased. The PWHS Poetry Club produced their poetry two years before the movie FREEDOM WRITERS came out, a movie where students from Long Beach California write diaries about their how the Holocaust lessons applied to their lives. Geist served as a pastor for five years in Queens, and has been a teacher in NYC and Newark NJ for over 15 years. He was voted Teacher of the Year in 2012 by his peers. He has been an activist against modern day slavery, child labor, sweatshops, and genocide in Sudan. His work has been recognized by Jewish Action Alliance and the NYC Council of Churches. He has spoken to colleges, churches, on radio and television about these various topics. He has written four books, and Modern Abolition Poetry is the first book Geist has edited.