Dwayne Morgan

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Dwayne Morgan
Born (1974-10-15) October 15, 1974 (age 49)
Toronto, Ontario
EducationDr Norman Bethune Collegiate InstituteMacklin Public School[citation needed]
Occupation(s)Spoken word artist, motivational speaker
Years active1993 - present
Political partyNew Democratic Party

Dwayne Morgan OOnt is a Canadian spoken word artist, motivational speaker and event organizer based in Toronto, Ontario.

Morgan began his career as a spoken word artist in 1993.[1] He is the founder of Up From The Roots Entertainment, which was established in 1994 to promote the positive artistic contributions of African Canadian and urban influenced artists. He received both the African Canadian Achievement Award for Youth Achievement, and the Harry Jerome Award for Excellence in the Arts in 1998.[2] Morgan has self-published two chapbooks and three full volumes of his poetry.

As a producer, Morgan has now produced over 100 events, the largest of which are the annual spoken word concerts When Brothers Speak, When Sisters Speak, and the Toronto International Poetry Slam. When Brothers Speak was established in 1999, and has retained its status as North America’s largest and longest-running showcase for black male spoken word artists. The event serves as a platform to celebrate the voices, stories, talents, and experiences of Black male spoken word artists.[3] When Sisters Speak, founded in 2000 is North America’s largest and longest-running showcase of Black, female, spoken word artists.[4]

Morgan collaborated with Driftwood Studios to film Three Knocks, a ten-minute film based on his domestic violence poem of the same name, which premiered at the 2006 Reel World Film Festival in Toronto.

He was a member of the 2007 Toronto Slam Team formed by Up From The Roots. The team finished second at the 2007 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Morgan was the host of Diasporic Music, a monthly spoken word show on CKLN-FM, and is an advice columnist in the free daily paper, 24 Hours, in Toronto. He is also a Toronto regional representative on the board of directors for Spoken Word Canada, and is an active member of the Spoken Word Arts Network (SWAN).

Morgan was inducted into the Scarborough Hall of Fame in 2013.[5]

Morgan was nominated as the candidate of the New Democratic Party in Scarborough North for the 2018 Ontario general election.[6] He placed second, to the incumbent Progressive Conservative candidate, Raymond Cho.[6]

In 2024, he was appointed to the Order of Ontario.[7]

Electoral history[edit]

2018 Ontario general election: Scarborough North
Party Candidate Votes %
Progressive Conservative Raymond Cho 17,413 51.05
New Democratic Dwayne Morgan 8,320 24.39
Liberal Chin Lee 7,519 22.04
Green Nicole Peltier 543 1.59
Libertarian Sean Morgan 318 0.93
Total valid votes 34,113 100.0  
Progressive Conservative pickup new district.
Source: Elections Ontario[8]

Bibliography[edit]

Poetry books[edit]

  • Long Overdue - one of the most popular that includes must read poems.
  • The Man Behind the Mic
  • The Making of A Man

Chapbooks[edit]

  • Straight From The Roots
  • The Revolution Starts Within

Awards[edit]

  • African Canadian Achievement Award for Youth Achievement, 1998
  • Harry Jerome Award for Excellence in the Arts, 1998[9]
  • The Evolution, Canadian Urban Music Award for Best Spoken Word Recording, 2001
  • Soul Searching, Canadian Urban Music Award for Best Spoken Word Recording, 2003
  • "Mother I Understand" from A Decade in the Making, Canadian Urban Music Award for Best Spoken Word Recording, 2005
  • Sheri-D Wilson Golden Beret Award for Career Achievement in the Spoken Word, 2018[10]
  • Scarborough Walk of Fame Inductee, 2013

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Dwayne Morgan". OntarioPoet.org. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  2. ^ "1998 Alumni". Harry Jerome Awards. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  3. ^ Inc, The Caribbean Camera (2023-11-10). "Dwayne Morgan celebrates 25 years of 'When Brothers Speak'". The Caribbean Camera. Retrieved 2024-02-08. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ "When Sisters Speak - Kuumba". Harbourfront Centre. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  5. ^ "2013 Star Inductees - Scarborough Walk of Fame". 2021-12-05. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  6. ^ a b "Ontario election 2018: Scarborough North riding". Global News. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  7. ^ "Ontario Newsroom". news.ontario.ca. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  8. ^ "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. p. 8. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  9. ^ "1998 Alumni". Harry Jerome Awards. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  10. ^ "Golden Beret Award - Sheri-D Wilson". 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2024-02-08.

External links[edit]

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