Get to Know Spoken Word Poet Harold Green III
March 15, 2023
Jennifer Hudson is using her platform to showcase the beauty of poetry — and the difference it can make in people’s lives.
Jennifer invited Chicago-based spoken word poet and author Harold Green III on the March 15 episode of “The Jennifer Hudson Show” to deliver a moving poem in honor of Women's History Month and Equal Pay Day, a symbolic day dedicated to raising awareness about the gender pay gap.
“I’m gonna be emotional, because you have no idea how much this means to me,” Harold said of appearing on the show.
Harold has been writing poetry for over two decades. His father would write poetry for him and his sister, but it was when he started watching HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam” as a teen that he felt motivated to start writing poems himself.
He took to the “Jennifer Hudson Show” stage to perform “Flowers for the Living,” a poem inspired by the struggles with burnout experienced by women.
Harold also shared a story of how his poetry has had real-life effects on those that hear it. “A classmate who sent me some mail one summer… She said if it wasn’t for my work, [her newborn son] wouldn’t have met her, because she was having suicidal thoughts and listening to my work really [helped her], and I knew at that moment that my work was bigger than me.”
Harold and Jennifer originally met while filming the 2015 Spike Lee film “Chi-Raq.” He was moved by his interactions with JHud to write a poem called “Jennifer’s Song,” which is now featured in his collection of poetry, “Black Roses: Odes Celebrating Powerful Black Women.”
Said Harold of his Jennifer-inspired poem, “Thinking about all the times that I’ve been around you, and how philanthropic you are, how magnanimous your spirit is, and how genuine you are, and how you use your platform, as we see, and continue to lift other human beings has been such an inspiration.”
He added, “I think the way you handled grief and turned it into grace I think has been so inspiring,” prompting JHud to say, “You’re gonna make me cry!”
For more information about Harold, visit haroldandthebeard.com.
“The Jennifer Hudson Show” airs weekdays. Here’s when to watch in your area.
