On this last day of February*, after scrapping several attempts to craft a blog post based upon my own feelings of overwhelm during the relentless escalation of ICE these past months, I received the March newsletter from The Poetry Society of South Carolina** in my email.
Therein I learned of SC native son, J. Drew Lanham – poet, ornithologist and 2022 MacArthur Fellowship recipient who would be leading a workshop and reading sponsored by The Poetry Society of South Carolina in Greenville, SC*** on 3/14/26.
“…any bias is predatory. For us to understand that social justice and environmental justice are inextricably linked is critical. I want my work to inspire – I want it to inspire head, to inspire heart and I want it to inspire some action for a better future.”
J. Drew Lanham
When I began my own research of this new-to-me poet, my eyes quickly landed upon the title of his newest book of poems and prose, Joy is the Justice We Give Ourselves.
I did a double take on this title. Did you, too?
It hit me right where I am at in this moment. The joining of the times, emotional exhaustion, living out my values and convictions with empathy, doing what I can, using my (he)art to reach out/speak out, yet vacillating between is it enough? does it really count?
And here was an encouragement offered to me this very day: Joy is the Justice We Give Ourselves.
Hoping the book’s title was also in fact the title of a poem contained within its pages, I googled it and was hugely rewarded. Numerous on-line magazines, organizations, poetry reading meetings, and reviewers offer complete versions of the poem – in both written and audio format read by the poet J. Drew Lanham himself.
Excerpts from: Joy is the Justice We Give Ourselves by J. Drew Lanham
~
Joy is the truth,
crooked lies hammered straight,
whitewashed myths
wiped away.
Stone Mountain
- just stone.
Rushmore
- no more.
Give the eagles
their mountains back.
~
Joy is the good news,
without new dead names,
no chokeholds or murdering knees.
A night of sleep
in your very own bed
without shots in the dark
- no more not waking up,
full of lead.
~
Little did this poet know how well a stanza of this poem would segue into the ornithological depiction of resistance to the current state of our nation as discussed below. Thank you, sir.
Joy is the murmuration,
then the stillness.
South Carolina Rebel Bird
The Rebel Bird logos**** are based upon the Star Wars Rebel Alliance emblem. They incorporate local state identity & flag symbolism to signal collective strength, opposition, and resistance against the current administration’s sanctioned ICE enforcement violence. In addition, Rebel Birds are a symbol of hope, freedom, and resistance against tyranny.
The Carolina Wren is set against the Palmetto Moon ( SC state bird & flag), standing on a combined Carolina single territory image. I take this as a nod to our Carolina Cousins to the North, although it may have been a designer error! 🙂
*coincidentally the last day of Black History Month – which was ‘erased’ in 2025 (here & here) and resurrected in 2026 in the context of ‘250 years of American Independence’ celebration.
**an organization of which I recently discovered and joined in January.
***a 2 hour 45 minute drive from where I live – well worth the drive & effort.
****created in January 2026 by Minnesota-based designers as a symbol of resistance in response to ICE activity.
