Kalamu Chaché: Rare Writer 5

Calling someone a “treasure” sometimes seems like an overused compliment such that the root idea of a precious gem created through time and pressure is lost.  But Kalamu Chache is indeed a Bay Area treasure who has done her work for decades and deserves to be acknowledged and better known as you will see in this interview.

When I think of you, I think of a poet, art activist, educator, music (especially Jazz) aficionado and uplifter of Afro diasporic and African culture. What did I leave out?

Isn’t that something?! Thank you for reporting back to me what your eyes have seen! Over time, here are some more roles that I’ve taken on to get my work done: Author; Community Advocate; Cultural Arts Initiator; Curator; Educator; Events Organizer; Performing Artist; Poet Laureate for the City of East Palo Alto; Producer; Promoter; Publisher; Recording Artist; Songwriter; and Vocalist. I’m staying true to my Motto: “Work with What You Have!”

In these times do you think that music and poetry have a dynamic role to play in forwarding struggles for justice and freedom? If so, how?

Most definitely! As our beloved Nina Simone always told us: “An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times.” We are living in times where it’s important to speak out and express our thoughts on anything and everything thing that is getting in the way of living our lives. Doing so is what helps to keep us sane and do things that are meant to better the human condition. We need only to look to the body of work by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson to see the power of the dance between Poetry and Jazz. As humans, we have to keep on keepin’ on for ourselves and for future generations to come.

Who do you think people should be listening to or reading right now?

Currently, Guitarist/Vocalist Allan Harris is burning up the Jazz charts through his Summer CD release of “The Poetry of Jazz: Live at Blue Llama.” This Jazzician’s way of infusing Poetry into his work is helping Poetry to Rise! Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, I appeared as a Guest Poet on a Spoken Word CD produced and released by Hip-Hop Artist Know Expressions? I recorded my poem, “Your Responsibility To The Youth,” with a starting beat that came to me while recording my work. Oh, the things that can be done these days through the use of technology! That was   a fun project for me to do without ever stepping into a recording studio! I still have fond memories of the recordings that I did as an original member of the Sons & Daughters Of Lite and for four projects that I produced as a Vocalist and Songwriter. Know Expressions? is currently co-hosting a few Open Mics here in the Bay Area. We are planning to do a few more CD recordings in the future. 

I recently learned that the Inaugural Oakland Poet Laureate Ayodele Nzinga is about to drop her CD, “ghetto grimoire,” soon. I know that’s going to be off chain! So, Poets, get ready to do more in your work in the future! It’s time to go from the page, to the stage, and on to the airwaves. Radio Hosts and Podcasters, please get ready to play more recordings by Poets in the future!

As for Poetry books, there are four anthologies that I recommend for the public to read and for all Libraries to have on their shelves. We’re in two of them together: “Black Fire This Time: Volume 1” and “Black Fire This Time: Volume 2.” The other books are “A Wreath of Golden Laurels: An Anthology of Poetry by 100 Poets Laureate” and “In Fullness of the Word: An Anthology of Black American Poet Laureates.”

What do you think the role of history, or more precisely knowing our history, is in these times?

The role of our history is to keep us remembering the greatness of our people, who have been here on Earth since the beginning of time. Our history must inform, inspire, and engage us in living a proud, positive, and productive life throughout our lifetime. For those of us who need to be reminded and/or know more about what we have done and continue to do through our gifts and talents that we have been sharing with the world since the dawning of time, I strongly recommend that they subscribe to Knarrative— Home to the Largest Africana Studies Classroom in the World.

We Carried The Future

From Sunup to Sundown,
We toiled on this here land
Continuing traditions of our Ancestors
So that today you could stand.
The Creator stayed with us
All along the way
Helping us to keep moving forward
As we continued to birth the coming of a New Day.
Our people endured a lot
While coming across the Middle Passage—
Weathering the directions of many storms.
We remembered to tell our stories to weave a coiled message.
As Ancestors, we speak today to you
From a long and bending past
Because we always carried The Future
To ensure that we would always last.

© Poetess Kalamu Chaché 2025

For me East Palo Alto/Nairobi was important because it placed the struggle for black nationalism in a movement, in a community in a very tangible way. Are there any lasting results from that important and dynamic vision of East Palo Alto?

Yes! Yes! Yes! Due to the Black Nationalism Movement that took place in the United States in the 1960s, Black people in the Nairobi/East Palo Alto exercised our right to live our lives on the regular in the Spirit of the Kujichagulia/Self-Determination Principle. Primarily known as a Black community at that time, we built coalitions with other ethnic groups in our community to become a new City in California. On July 1, 1983, the City of East Palo Alto became the twentieth city to incorporate in San Mateo County. We are celebrating our 42nd Anniversary now!

In addition to achieving our goal of cityhood, the Black community led the way during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic to pull together a multi-ethnic group of people from the community to work on telling our story of how it came to be that we became a City.  Our work has resulted in the establishment of the East Palo Alto Community Archive, as a website, which we launched in October 2022. We are also on Facebook and Instagram. Eventually, we plan to have a building for our non-profit organization. Periodically throughout the year, we host and work at events to inform the public about our work and feature parts of our Archive.

I am also happy to let you know that work is now being done to tell the story about the Nairobi College Era in Nairobi/East Palo Alto. Nairobi College was a private Junior College that established in October 1969. It closed in 1981. Thereafter, a group was formed as the Nairobi College Foundation to preserve the legacy of Nairobi College and improve the quality of life for the Black Community in East Palo Alto and the Belle Haven neighborhood of Menlo Park. In July 2002, the Nairobi College Foundation incorporated. The Foundation is currently in negotiations to have the archives on Nairobi College placed at Stanford University. A collection on Nairobi College already exists on the East Palo Alto Community Archive website. There is also a Nairobi College Alumni website and Facebook page that is being managed by the Foundation.

What projects are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on three major new projects to further help bring the Literary Arts closer to people’s hearts. First, I’m creating a new Cultural Arts Initiative in October 2025 to get (31) Poets, to send (31) original poems, not to exceed (31) lines, to (31) people in their networks by mail or email by October 31 annually. Hopefully, this will help many people to have joy in their lives from receiving an original poem by an established Poet. If there are any Poets interested in joining me in this effort, they can contact me by email at: PoetsAreRising@gmail.com. 

Second, I’m working with a group of Black Poet Laureates to build the National Black Poet Laureates Society. We’re currently calling on all past and current Black Poet Laureates to become members of our non-profit organization. In addition to having published our first-ever book anthology in 2022, “In Fullness of the Word: An Anthology of Black American Poet Laureates,” we also have a YouTube channel. We’re planning on publishing a second anthology in the future.

Third, I’m working with two Poets to work on putting together a multicultural and multigenerational book anthology by Poets from East Palo Alto, the Belle Haven community of Menlo Park, and the North Fair Oaks community of Redwood City. We’re inviting (35) Poets to be a part of this inaugural publication. We’re aiming to publish the anthology in 2027.

What do you think are a few things that people should be focusing on right now?

The time is right for people to go within to discover their creative voice and find ways to share their voices with others. I know that we’re living in some troubling, trying, and exhausting times! However, we must stay mindful that we were Born To Live. As such, it serves our Souls well to engage in as many forms of creative expression as possible for our general well-being. What we can do through The Arts will help us to move on up higher to a level of Bliss. We must strive more to live our lives happily to the fullest degree of possibility. Let’s have Poetry events happening in every community everywhere, on the regular. Let’s have Poetry Wall Exhibits displayed in school hallways, public Libraries, workplaces, and other spaces that people visit. Let’s hear more Poets being heard on the airwaves. Let’s live life more in a poetic way. Let’s dream more about the building of a more just and poetic society.

devorah, thank you so much for this opportunity for us to be in community as Poets and for people to see some of the imprints that are a part of this Poet’s Soul. Stay Uplifted! Asante Sana! Ashé! Ashé! Ashé!