Harlem Overheard is a student run literary magazine dedicated to the development and expression of student voices on the topics that matter to them. Students write, design, release, and distribute the magazine yearly. A man Shawn Dove started Harlem Overheard in 1997 (20 years ago) because he wanted kids to use their voices so they can be heard. He made the first HO magazine on the same year it started... (That's 2 decades in the making.)Since then, A man named: Timothy "Prolific" Jones continued his legacy by fulfilling the same goal: letting kids find their voices to break down doors for upcoming HO members, breaking stereotypes society label us with... We use the HO magazine as a ticket for our voices to be heard. I honestly love this unit/magazine because I can be myself without any restrictions, I can express my ideas, my opinions, my poems without judgement, I can give back to my community by helping distribute the magazine to places that helped me become the leader I am today. This unit is a "MUST PARTICIPATE" because you can be apart of something that can impact the community in a positive way. This magazine is a "MUST READ" because it have stories, art, and poems that people can relate to... (Fun Fact: I'm in the book, yes that's right, I have a poem everyone can relate to.) Please read it, it’s the best book ever. I love being apart of this HO family because I always wanted to be apart of a unit that meets my "taste" in poetry, and outreach (another fun fact: i'm the outreach manager of this magazine. I help HO find places that's willing to read and acknowledge this magazine.) We want Harlem to know about this treasure, after that... We want the whole world to know why the HO magazine matters. I'm getting sick and tired of people silencing us, it's time that Harlem Overheard show these "doubters" who we are, and why we can't be silenced anymore. I would most definitely recommend this unit/magazine to anyone who's willing to have their voice be heard because I don’t nobody wants to be another "slave" to society's evil games. The two most things that stood out to me about HO was: 1. I love how HO let me perform my poems (that's how I earned the name: queen of poetry.) 2. HO is like family to me because I found people who care about me and how I operate with my "babies" (I called my poems my babies.) To be honest, I love Harlem Overheard the way it is, but HO would be even better if they added a performance section to it because I want HO to be about performing poems, and making a magazine that's worth listening to. the important thing about HO that I've learned from 9th grade till now is that: I've learned how to self advocate for my work, I've learned how to write and perform stronger, I've learned that there's endless opportunities that can help me get my name in the poetry world, (Urban Word NYC was one of the opportunities) I've learned that I can use the lessons that HO taught me to teach other people how to self advocate for their work, writing/performing stronger, having endless opportunities can help them open gates for themselves and other people. I wish every country was doing something like HO because it can help people not only learn about channeling their inner poet/artist, it can also teach them that your work is priceless... Don't ever let anyone make you put a price on your work, copyright exist!!!!