Javon and Brittney Rustin are performers with 20+ years of combined stage experience. Brittney is an actor, writer, and marketing manager who has performed on stages throughout the Dallas and DMV metroplexes, including a debut at DC’s renowned Arena Stage. Javon is a poet, performer, and software developer who has ranked nationally in poetry slam competitions and has taught as a teaching artist in Texas, NC, and DC. The couple met while performing in a play together in Dallas. They got married in July of 2025 and have been writing, exploring, and loving together ever since. Their poetry is most often an exploration of empowerment, grief, and Black love. 

An excerpt from
MY COUNTRY IS A HOUSE by
Javon and Brittney Rustin

Hi! Welcome to our open house. Thank you for coming by.

Before you begin your tour,

we’ll just give you some background information.

Construction started on July 4th, 1776

and has been expanding

without permission.

The roof is pure blood

but they name it God.

Like the floor plan was one nation under…

You’d be surprised by how much blood

has been drawn in the name of God.

Enough to cover over 3 million square miles.

Please, come inside. Have a look around.

Don’t mind the mass of white people. That’s just the foyer,

the fore-front​

the all you see on news and tv.

Look past that.

I think there’s some diversity in the living room.​

Diversity is not a room itself.

It’s more so a painting.

Something that can be taken on and off as you please.

Notice the bones.

This house has good bones.

They might look like my bones. That’s because they once were

At one point by body was the property

My veins were just hallways

for white people to walk through.

That was pre post reconstruction.

That’s all history now.

History is a whole ‘nother room.

Albeit an arcade room,

I’m still afraid to enter.

In this house, history takes our life as a token.

Uses it to beat its high score.

My people are a high score.

My country is a big house but

doesn’t always feel like home​

Feels like there are parts we’re not allowed to go in.

The rich parts.​​

The white parts.

The sundown towns. I mean rooms.​​The sundown rooms. I mean towns.

We can’t show you those.

But we can show you the kitchen. Recently remodeled,

the tables and counters were once made of slavery

like slavery was the only thing America ate off of.​

Now there are new cabinets

filled with the same capitalism.

They keep the education in the basement

and the genocide in the penthouse. Believe murder

the only way to manifest their destiny.

If you’re worried about the previous landowners, don’t be.

They’re not allowed inside without a reservation……..

See them on Monday, June 22nd at Sound OFF Open Mic