OPEN DOORS is an arts and justice initiative under the Center for Transformative Action. The project is led by the Reality Poets—an artist collective of current and former residents of a long-term care facility on Roosevelt Island in NYC. Guided by the Reality Poets’ lived experience and vision, our work focuses on disability justice, community building and gun violence prevention.

DISABILITY JUSTICE

During the pandemic racist, ableist systems dehumanized and confined the Reality Poets. Realizing that they had the microphone at the center of the storm, the group has been fighting for those living and working in long-term care, particularly facilities housing predominantly Black and brown people, which saw twice the amount of Covid deaths as their white counterparts. To ensure their stories are heard and to get a seat at the table where the decisions that affect their lives are being made, the Poets have begun work on a documentary film called Fire Through Dry Grass and launched a Nursing Home Lives Matter movement.

COMMUNITY BUILDING

Before OPEN DOORS, the group of men who would later become the founding members of the Reality Poets, would congregate outside the massive brick building at the tip of Roosevelt Island, smoke and share stories. This loose cohort was the start of what is now a dynamic creative community. Since the group formed in 2017, they’ve met with hundreds of young people and collaborated with renowned artists on a poetry anthology, original play  and hip-hop album, among other projects. We welcome everyone to join the Poets for Freestyle Fridays, each week. Part open studios, part artists’ salon, it’s a chance for the group to receive feedback on the projects we're working on, and for other folks with disabilities and allies to present their creative work and, or speak on topics related to art and activism.

GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION

Many of the originating Reality Poets are gun violence survivors. Var was shot by a friend over a dice game; EL was gunned down in a case of mistaken identity; Vince was robbed at gunpoint; Tito was shot in a gang turf war; and Suluk spent thirty years in prison after being shot by a racist cop. This legacy guides how we show up in the world. The Reality Poets educate youth about the consequences of running the streets—that guns lead not only to jail or death but also to life in the chair—and inform audiences of all ages and background about the injustice that breeds violence in our cities. To further this work, Reality Poet Vincent Pierce has started his own music program and label called ZING!—designed to keep kids off the streets and in the studio and to create intergenerational paces of healing and wisdom.