AndoverMagSpring2015

The crowd cheers at ABL’s“Speak Your Truth” event.John HurleyABLvAndover Bread LoafABL teaches, inspires, and empowers student and adult writers of all ages, workswith public and private school educators to enhance the teaching and learning ofwriting, and holds school and community events for the sharing of poetry and prose.ABL writing leaderNate Báez speaks hispoem “Mad Peace.”John HurleyFor years, Andover Bread Loaf director LouBernieri wanted to hang an ABL shinglesomewhere in Lawrence to get the word outabout the program—and create a gatheringplace for people interested in writing. Withthe 2013 opening of El Taller, a community-​based café and bookstore owned by ABLteacher Mary Guerrero (also a teacher attwo nearby middle schools) and husbandAntonio, Bernieri says his dream has inmany ways come true.“It’s an essential site for the Bread LoafTeacher Network—and an outgrowth of thenetwork,” he says of El Taller. “The networkfeeds it, as it feeds us.” With ABL youthworking as waiters, there’s a forged connectionbetween the two, and the many culturalevents, such as a January open mic nightcalled “Speak Your Truth,” only deepen it.In the wake of the deaths of Eric Garnerand Michael Brown, “Speak Your Truth” initiallywas intended to be an opportunity forparticipants to voice their feelings about theBlack Lives Matter movement. But once theevent got under way, says Jamele Adams,the evening’s host, “it evolved into all livesmatter, and all voices should be heard.”Adams, an edu-activist, spoken word poet,and dean of students at Brandeis University,has been affiliated with ABL for severalyears; he has even conducted ABL workshopsin Haiti. Although he had compileda list of speakers for “Speak Your Truth,”as the evening went on, more people inthe crowd of 100-plus wanted a turn at themicrophone. El Taller was willing to stayopen, so Adams made room on the listfor poems and free verse written on thespot. Topics tackled included run-ins withlocal authorities, relationships with familymembers and others, what it means to bea person of color, and what speakers see asthe world collapsing around them and whatcan be done to stop it. There also was plentyof reference to Black Lives Matter.“The most beautiful part of it was thateveryone stayed to listen—the house waspacked until the end,” says Adams, addingthat he’s eager to participate in futureABL-El Taller events. “El Taller and itsowners, together with Lou Bernieri and theAndover Bread Loaf family, know how toexpand the tentacles of their mission andlove throughout the community.”•1957Andover adopts its first need-blindadmission policy. Only the “most qualified”students are admitted, regardless of theirrace or social/economic background.| | | To expand its mission of “every quarter,” PAKemper states there is a double standard for32 Andover | Spring 2015•1958launches a “newspaper boy program,” calling uponnewspapers around the country to recommend paperboysas scholarship recipients. The program lasts until 1967.•1961scholarship boys, who must perform four hours ofcampus duty per week; he also argues they areheld to higher expectations and scrutiny.