In the summer of 2009, the Smithsonian hosted the 43rd annual Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. One of the programs was Giving Voice: The Power of Words in African American Culture, which included a selection of performances by Black poets, storytellers, actors, comedians, and radio personalities that presented the traditions of contemporary African American Culture that have been spread throughout the community through oral traditions and verbal arts. Participants included children's singer/songwriter Ella Jenkins, veteran actress Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, and poet Thomas Sayers Ellis. This video goes behind the scenes with program curator James A. Robinson as he reflects on the Festival's program, co-presented with the National Museum of African American History and Culture.