Danielle Ponder’s keynote address and performance
Photo courtesy of Julia Occhi
Ponder’s passion for activism was shown through the important messages and values she left attendees with after her performance and address.
Feb. 25, 2024, marked SUNY Geneseo’s annual Diversity Summit, a day of sessions and discussions on diversity hosted by community members, faculty, and students. A highlight of this event was the keynote speech presented by the lawyer and musician Danielle Ponder.
Born in Rochester, NY, Danielle Ponder is a highly successful artist who produces songs that mix R&B, soul, blues, gospel, trip-hop, and alternative rock. Before her journey as a musician, however, Ponder invested her time in studying criminal justice reform— a passion sparked after her brother received a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years to life for robbery.
After earning her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law, Ponder committed herself to public defense, advocating for those from marginalized communities. In the courtroom, she encountered individuals at their lowest moments, approaching each case with deep empathy— seeing beyond the crime to the person behind it.
Ponder endured painful experiences, recalling children in shackles, and advocated to the audience that there is nothing normal about our criminal judicial system. After many years of helping so many people, Ponder decided she needed a break from the horrors within our justice system.
Alongside public defense, Ponder was also extremely passionate about activism. From undergrad to her adult years, she participated in discussions surrounding imperialism, the dehumanization of Palestinian people, and many more social injustices present globally.
Eventually, Ponder began to notice a lack of compassion in these activist communities. She observed how innocent mistakes were often met with harsh judgment rather than understanding, and many engaged in what she described as the “righteous Olympics,” which is when other people compete to seem the most “correct” in their beliefs/stances to the public. Similarly to her career in law, this environment caused a feeling of burnout, leading her to take a break from these avenues and focus on her music.
After focusing on herself and succeeding in her music career, Ponder is rejuvenated and here to spread activism in the SUNY Geneseo community. After performing a powerful and beautiful original song, Ponder shared her story with the audience. Additionally, she spent the last half of her speech sharing four important messages to help guide the audience to cultivate a nuanced perspective of the world.
Her first message is to remember that America is not the center of the universe. While it is easy to be preoccupied with American politics, it is important to consume international news and recognize that suffering is occurring worldwide, and in doing so, compassion widens.
Her second message is to remember that people have been through worse; suffering is not new. This perspective is comforting, reminding us that people have continued to fight and create during harder times and that we should not feel hopeless and overwhelmed.
Ponder’s third message is to not allow people’s hate to build a home in your skin. Hate is the reflection of the fragility of the oppressor— it has nothing to do with the victim. Always remember: their hate is their problem.
Ponder's final message is specific to Black Americans. She states that they will always be powerful, and there is nothing anyone can do to take that power away and make them question who they are.
This year’s Keynote speech was incredibly well-articulated and a testament to Ponder’s compassion for others. Her words left a lasting impact on the audience and perfectly balanced the concept of self-care with pursuing advocacy.