Forty-seven years ago, a great American civil rights leader took the stage at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., in what has come to be remembered as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of the United States.

Citing the Emancipation Proclamation, a statement which served as a great beacon of hope for millions facing enslavement and flames of withering injustice, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. announced to 200,000 civil rights supporters, advocates, and allies sharing in the same strive for justice and purpose that although the United States had issued African-Americans a blank cheque of equality and freedom, the true spirit of the society was, in fact, not bankrupt of liberty and integrity, but instead stocked of opportunity.

From Aime Cesaire and Pablo Neruda to Mahmoud Darwish and Wislawa Szymborska, poets throughout the world have raised their voices in protest against injustice in all its forms.

And poets, artists, musicians and social activists will gather in various Toronto venues later this month to celebrate the boundless capacity of verse to resist oppression and create links among diverse communities. The International Festival of Poetry of Resistance (From September 16 to 20) will feature readings, roundtable discussions, musical performances and a special "festivalito" for children.