Sol Rapoport
In celebration of Black History Month, performers took the stage at the Freudian Sip last week and shared their thoughts with poetry, prose and song.
Initially scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. outside the Sip, the event was pushed back half an hour after nearly 45 degree temperatures forced a move indoors.
Despite the delays, the audience was robust, including students, faculty, staff and Pierce College President Robert Garber. Crowding inside, they cheered on the performers while enjoying complimentary coffee, tea and pastries provided by the Associated Students Organization.
Garber spoke briefly to the crowd, thanking students for their involvement and attendance.
“One of the beauties of the Pierce campus is that we are a diverse representation of the population,” he said. “I’ve seen the changes in our community, the changes in our culture. To see all of you here participating in this event is great.”
Sponsored by the Pierce Diversity Committee, along with the ASO and the Council of African American Students (CAAS), the Feb. 27 event featured the theme “Where Are We Now?”
English instructor Kambon Obayani kicked off the evening with a personal thought, saying he grew up with segregation and his community “constantly under attack.”
He believes that progress has been made however, saying “Now if I turn my back, a valley kid is a valley kid. Since they all come from the same community and have the same socio-economic base, they’re all the same.”
Not all performers agreed with that premise. In one of his poems, Gary Gray, president of the Council of African American Students, stressed equality is not always the norm, saying, “I’m not Visa, I’m not accepted everywhere.”
Gray, a journalism major, felt it was important to participate in the event as a tribute to black poets that came before him like Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou. This was the first time there was a Black History Month-focused Open Mic Night.
“If I have any say in it, if I’m still president, we’ll do this again next year,” said Gray.
Other performers spoke about the importance of being politically involved.
A Pierce student who goes by the name of “Truth” stressed the value of voting in one the poems he recited, echoing the words in the comic book series “V for Vendetta” written by Alan Moore.
“People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people,” he said.
Open Mic Night is part of a regular series for the ASO, occurring the second Tuesday of every month.
According to Tessa Moss, ASO social and cultural chair, the February event was moved to accommodate Black History Month.
ASO President Abraham White felt it was important to continue the tradition of celebrating diversity at Pierce.
“We’ve obviously made a lot of progress as a nation since the Civil Rights movement. And while that’s good, we still have a lot further to go,” he said. “It’s with events like this that we’ll create awareness of that gap still existing.”
Supporters agreed an event like this was needed.
Nursing student Jackie Michaud said when she heard from her instructors that this event was taking place she thought it was important to attend.
“I’m a Caucasian, but I think it’s good to be involved and to show understanding and respect for the African-American culture,” she said.
Wrapping up the performances at the close of the evening, sociology major Chaye Alexander emphasized the importance of counteracting negative media influences with positivity.
“It’s good that we have a month,” he said. “But we need to understand that black history is more than 28 days.”
“Keyz 2 Poetry” performs at the Freudian Sip. One of the many groups that performed at the first Black History themed night Sunday Feb. 27. (Alex Fuenes)