Shane Koyczan’s “To This Day”
I wasn’t sure where to put Shane Koyczan’s TED Talk performance of his spoken-word poem “To This Day.” It’s about bullying, and the lasting impact that the harsh words children speak to each other can have. That’s something I experienced as a kid, both as a receiver and giver. And both – being called names and calling others name – shape some of the memories of my youth I would most like to forget.
So perhaps, I thought, I should put it under “parenting,” inviting parents and all those who care for children to take these taunts and slanders more seriously so that we may children our to honor each other and to be resilient in the face of those who use words to hurt rather than heal.
Or maybe, I mused, it should go under “teaching and learning,” as so much bullying occurs on the school yard, accepted as a part of growing up. Except that it’s not longer just at school, as Facebook and Twitter mean that kids are never not in public, not pressured to maintain a (now digital) appearance that is acceptable.
Ultimately, I decided to put it under “Good!” because, finally, the only way we can curb the bullying that affects, I suspect, all of us and devastates some of us is if, like Shane, we tell our stories of being bullied and bullying, of the names we were called and those we hurled at others. So that in the telling and hearing and grieving there might also be healing.
Shane Koyczan is a Canadian spoken-word poet who performed at the Vancouver Olympics and, more recently, released a version of his poem “To This Day” that was illustrated by volunteer artists from around the world and, when placed on YouTube, garnered six million views in the first month.
I’ll place the TED Talk below where he describes some of the back story to the poem before reciting it accompanied by violin with some of the animation in the back ground. It’s a powerful, moving, and at times raw presentation ( with brief swearing at the 5 minute mark) that I think will take most of us back to a time in our lives where words were, frankly, more dangerous, and even though we may have moved beyond those days we probably haven’t escaped their memory. Below that I’ll place the YouTube video so you can watch the illustrated work in its entirety. If you want to learn more about how this project came to be, you can check out Shane’s To This Day Project. And if you’re looking for a resource on bullying, Barbara Coloroso’s excellent The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander: From Preschool to HighSchool–How Parents and Teachers Can Help Break the Cycle 
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Another wonderful Ted talk with a very powerful message. As you said, I could relate not only as a youth, but also with some adult work place bullying of the current day.
This, and the other stories I hear about cruelty to others, it makes me wonder what is in our DNA that makes us so cruel to others. It also makes me think this isn’t how Christ would want us to treat each other.
We need to be kinder to each other and to reach out and love those that need it the most.
I love this poem. It tells people that they are wanted and that they are beautiful. Keep writing. Keep standing up for people. I will be one of those people who will always listen. This poem speaks to everyone. You should make a bully read that poem and see how they feel afterward. No matter how much we tell people that bulling isn’t right, that it’s illegal, people will still bully others. But that poem will stop a lot of bullies!!!!!!!!!!!!