Kirk Washington, Mpls. artist and activist, remembered for impactful work

Kirk Washington, a popular North Minneapolis poet and community organizer, died Monday in a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 94. He was 41.

He's being remembered as a man whose work sparked discussions around inequality and community engagement. Washington is survived by his wife and two teenage daughters.

In his teens, Washington was a graffiti artist.

Later, he became a spoken word artist, then an activist. Today, he's best known for his work on race and economic disparities projects with organizations such as Intermedia Arts.

"We are experiencing a huge loss," said Eyenga Bokamba, InterMedia Arts' executive director. "He was one of the people in our community of artists who we considered to be a real lightening rod for positive conversations around some of the most difficult and intractable issues of our time."

The State Patrol says Washington's vehicle was struck by a woman driving westbound who crossed over the median. The other driver was Nancy Scott from Michigan City, Indiana. She remains in critical condition.

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges remembered Washington in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

"Minneapolis has suffered the loss of a great talent and neighbor today, and my heart is heavy," she wrote. "I hope his friends and family and loved ones can find some peace in their grief."

Hodges' post also shared Washington's stanza in the poem written for her inauguration in 2014:

4
language describes the ideas of the ones who speak
it
...the single stories about the 5th ward...& the words
we see that narrate gentrification, in real time, say a
lot
I speak the gospel of the Northside, the the rage of
lovers...
...and perceive in my dreams...
a unified breath that electrocutes fear and
misunderstanding
...to remain apathetic is assured enslavement
so...precisely, what is a dream?