Angel Moncada / Roundup
The Pierce College Diversity Committee ended its annual Black History Month celebration with a Poetry Jam Contest Thursday.
Joseph Kurpjuweit, 21, and Lubna Mohammad, 17, tied for first place and both students received a $125 prize to spend on books and supplies at the Pierce College Bookstore. Six contestants in total entered the Poetry Jam for a chance to win the cash prize.
The contest was originally planned to have first, second and third place prizes but out of the six contestants that entered, only Kurpjuweit and Mohammad were present. “I think it’s good but I think that more people should’ve been here” Mohammad said, showing her disappointment in the fact that many people did not show up to the competition.
Kurpjuweit won for the performance of his spoken word called “Johnny Got A Lighter” and Mohammad for her poem called “Colored and Poor.” Both contestants had to write their poems on the theme of “Revolutions and Evolutions: Body, Mind and Soul.”
Although it was in celebration of Black History Month, the contest was open to Pierce students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.
When asked if a poetry contest was a good way to celebrate Black History Month Kurpjuweit said, “Yes because the power of the spoken word is emphasized in their black culture though feeling.”
Kurpjuweit has been writing poems for 11 years and recently organized a spoken word group that will perform at the Rock the Era festival in Long Beach on July 15. This is his second year at Pierce and is looking to study sports medicine.
Mohammad has been writing poetry for 10 years ever since she learned to write. This is her first semester at Pierce after being concurrently enrolled at Valley College for three years during high school.
Professor Fernando Oleas, a member of the Pierce Diversity Committee that sponsored the event, deemed the event a success because “of the range and variety of the people that participated.” He then added, “There was a wide spectrum of racial backgrounds embracing the Black History Month Celebration with positive vibes.”
