The University Union at Sacramento State’s UNIQUE Programs is excited to announce an evening of spoken word featuring America’s Got Talent finalist, Brandon Leake on via Zoom.

Stockton native, Brandon Leake, made history earlier this Summer as the first spoken word poet on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Show judge, Howie Mandel, awarded him the Golden Buzzer award, which fast-tracked him to the quarterfinal rounds of the competition. His spoken word performances on the show have been raw and personal, artistically expressing his experiences. In his performance in June, he discussed the death of his younger sister. In another performance, he discussed how his mother she calls him “Pookie”. The performance piece also discussed that his mother’s fear was that he would be “America’s next most popular hashtag”- drawing from the deaths of Ahmaud Arberry, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. His performance for the final rounds of the competition was a prayer for his six month old daughter, which earned him a standing ovation.

Brandon Leake is a first generation college graduate, former Division II basketball player poet, educator and motivational speaker. He is the founder of Called to Move, an organization that aids youth in self-actualizing and personally developing through art and poetry. His own struggles as a youth, growing up in Stockton, inspired him to create the organization.