U.S. Poet Laureate Herrera encourages students to speak out on social issues

screen-shot-2016-09-28-at-3-43-38-pmNamed the first Latino United States poet laureate in 2015, Juan Felipe Herrera spoke on Sept. 22, to a standing-room only audience of students and community members at the Fields Center. For nearly two hours, he deftly interwove readings of his poems with advice, encouraging attendees to use their voices against today’s injustices and to use words, as he does, to combat racism and violence. “You are all leaders,” he said.