“I believe in creating, not just discussing, new means of agency for myself and my community…and having an honest laugh each day I wake up.”
Get to know us! We’re happy to present the second in a series of mini-interviews with the fabulous faculty staff and board that make a difference every day at Bronx Academy of Letters.
In his own words, here is Darryl Montgomery, Artist-in-Residence at Bronx Academy of Letters.
What do you believe in?
I believe in creating, not just discussing, new means of agency for myself and my community, artistically challenging myself, and having an honest laugh each day I wake up.
What inspires you?
I am inspired by people and systems that surpass expectation[s]. Seeing people execute amazing stunts and tasks takes me to another level, reminding me of my pro BMX freestyler days where I challenged my personal best, at the very real risk of serious injury, everyday.
What do you love about Bronx Letters?
As a person who has guided my educative work specifically at at communities that were and are structurally underfunded for generations, working at BAL enables me to have a tangible and quantifiable impact on the lives of teens that often are seen as hardened people who require fixing and validation versus being seen as people dealing with various levels of environmentally induced PTSD who need to be loved and understood.
How can education change the world?
Education, writ large, is the cornerstone of intellectual curiosity. Learning to learn can be an empowering way to mentally move beyond one's current situation, discovering new vistas to explore and engage. As my father used to say, "If you are only learning in school, you are not learning." It is applied education that changes the world. Teaching at BAL further enables me to bring to fruition my organization's tagline, "Building community. One person at a time."
How can one person make a difference?
By moving beyond the theoretical and developing the means to directly and positively impact, even in the smallest way, that which one deems important.
What's your biggest dream?
I really do not have "big dreams." I have applied ideas of what I want to do / can do in the various worlds I inhabit. I have lived such a richly varied life, if I had to have a "biggest dream," it would be that I continue building the life and mindset / skillset I am so incredibly lucky to have, and blessed to be guided by.
What's a "fun fact" about yourself?
There are many fun facts about my life. I was called a "polymath" by a British person in my network. The definition had described my thought process perfectly. That encapsulated all the things I believe led to the agency I have in the world in modernity. Fun facts in bullets... ["Live each day like it is your last, like there is going to be a tomorrow." dh] - My first time having students was in 1991 working with the Breadloaf Program that brought young people from Lawrence and Lowell, MA to the Andover Academy in Andover, MA for a summer program. - I was an expert freestyle [not roller disco] roller skater. - I was a pro bmx freestyler. [known as one of the top riders in the sport for the time.] - I am a first generation new wave / punk rocker. [listed in the archive of Black punk rock musicians.] - I love that clergy and politicians use my artist pseudonym, "Darryl Hell," when I am doing my social / cultural / community work. - I was brought in to be a guest lecturer at Monmouth University in 2013. I am well-respected by the director of their media literacy program. In 1983, I was escorted off of the campus due to an out-of-control party that followed our band's performance in their student lounge. - I am a first generation turntablist. - I was the first hardcore punk rock bass player to use a wireless system, enabling me to slamdance while playing. - I was the lead Internet strategist for Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney's successful 2004 campaign. - I directed the first webcasts for Harry Belafonte, Sonia Braga, and the 2000 Slamdance and Sundance Festivals. - I created the first bash bar for a bmx freestyle frame, which enabled trials style riding on a freestyle frame, protecting the chainring and bottom of the frame. The design was stolen by a factory rider I shared a tour with. The following year, a number of companies released a frame with a version of it. At least there are thousands of people who saw me with it in development for 3 years prior. - I co-produced the first multi-location performance featuring Black culture. It was called "Digital Diaspora" and was done in 1996 at The Knitting Factory, NYC and The End in London. It was also webcast. - I produced the world's first Online record release party for the San Francisco experimental record label Furnace Records in 1995. - I produced the first experimental industrial music culture events at the world famous Stone Pony club. [They had only featured rock and roll based bands prior.] - I was babysat by the mother of David Sancious. She and her husband used to allow a number of their son's bands to practice in their basement. She also made incredible lemonade and was very kind. I would listen to the bands while sitting on the porch, although his personal jazz fusion band was simply dope and was my fave. One of the bands became very famous and named for the Sancious home. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. The "E Street Band" name came from their primary rehearsal space being on E Street in Belmar, NJ, my hometown. The band is named for a Black family's home that provided the original foundation for the band to grow.