Join Cheri as she talks with Social Justice Poet, Anthony Scandrick about the great gifts that poetry holds for us personally and for the community. Anthony Scandrick II was born in Detroit, Michigan on July 27, 1995. He is a leo, and he began writing short stories when he was in the 2nd grade. In the 5th grade, He wrote a poem about bullying for his school talent show. Anthony was bullied from his first grade year until his 7th grade year. In 2009, after learning the death of Michael Jackson, he started to search for more of his music. Unreleased, rare, never heard, etc. After listening to his music he began writing his own music. “He woke up the musician in me”. By the time of 8th grade he went to Lakeland, Florida to stay with his grandmother for about a year. He went to Southwest Middle School where he learned TV Production for the first time. By the middle of the year he was interested in writing novels. He started on a novel called "The Agent Kids of Capital Middle School". Where he have gotten very far in writing, but lost interest due to the condition of old and worn out papers. But, by the 9th grade at Lakeland High School he immediately became interested in writing music for it was always in his head. He wrote his first song called "I Try So Hard To Love You", and has been writing them every since. Anthony then moved back to Detroit with his mother in the middle of his 9th grade year when he went to Cody High School-Academy of Public Leadership. By the time of 10th grade, Anthony was influenced to start poetry again by a man by his mentor Shaka Senghor. He taught him how to put his feelings into writing to influence others with true experiences. By the time of his 11th grade year, he's written 3 to 4 motivational poems. He learned more about poetry from Sherina Rodriguez Sharpe and Chace Morris, Poets who worked for a company called "Inside Out". By the end of the program he was picked among other young poets to join Obsidian Blues. "It has been a blessing from above and it has change my life completely, and quickly. I love to be in the presence of young poets with magnificent talent. This is what God had for me all this time. He wanted me to wait for it." Anthony is now a freshman at Wayne State and a high school graduate from Cody High School.