By Heather Fabrtize
Elm Staff Writer
The Washington College Black Student Union continued their slate of events for Black History Month with a poetry slam on Wednesday, Feb. 23.
Hosted in the Tawes Theatre in Daniel Z. Gibson Center for the Arts, the slam featured pieces from various WC students. Anyone had the opportunity to sign up and share a piece through a link sent out via email.
Participants were given no time limit and could perform as many pieces as they wanted.
The event, which has been in the works since winter break, was planned in conjunction with the Department of Theatre and Dance. According to BSU President junior Jonah Nicholson, they wanted to partner together as a “step in the right direction in building a more positive relationship,” after past controversies involving both groups.
Nicholson and the rest of BSU felt that hosting this event during Black History Month was a priority due to the significance that the spoken word holds in the black community.
“When BIPOC are speaking about the different issues that are happening, whether it be on campus, in the community, or out in the world in general, a lot of the ways that we advocate is through spoken word,” Nicholson said. “Spoken word has become very important to the community and especially to myself, being able to speak to articulate how I’m feeling.”
Some participants, such as BSU Social Chair junior Armani Banks, used the Slam as an opportunity to “express” their experiences and how they “truly felt” as a Black student at WC.
Banks’ poem was titled “Being Black at WAC.”
“I used this poem to show others that Black students have a place on this campus just like everyone else, and we deserve to be treated as such,” Banks said. “While it is Black History Month and we appreciate the support we have been getting, we need this support at all times, not just one month out of a year.”
BSU Treasurer junior Tamara Dyer presented the intro to “The Problem” by rapper Wale. According to Dyer, the piece focuses on his life and his struggles with his music career.
She was originally supposed to perform it during an open mic night in high school, but it was canceled due to COVID-19.
“I figured I shouldn’t let my practice go to waste despite me learning it years ago,” Dyer said. “It’s one of my favorite songs in general, but I really love the spoken word section. I resonate with some parts of it —plus it just has a great flow.”
Other participants performed more than one piece, including senior Skyler Hancock, who presented an original piece titled “Flashbacks from High School” and “When the Fat Girl Gets Skinny” by spoken word poet Blythe Baird.
Hancock’s original piece focused on trauma relating to her ex-best friend in high school and her personal experience with mental health.
“I felt that this slam poem was one of the more engaging poems that I have written that touches upon a serious topic facing our society, such as suicide and self-harm,” Hancock said. “I wasn’t the only slam poet who [used] the space to talk about suicide, which is one of the leading causes of death among young adults.”
As someone who is heavily involved in advocacy work, Hancock performed Baird’s piece to raise awareness for National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.
Nicholson hopes that those who attended the event reflected on the messages that the performers were conveying through the spoken word.
“I know there will be people [performing] who are going to speak from the heart,” Nicholson said. “We’re going to speak from experience. So, just take in what they say, because this is another form of communication…this is a way for people to communicate how they’re feeling inside, how others are feeling inside, how their community relates to them, and to the community in their own poetic way.”
Although the BSU’s Black History Month events are over, the executive board encourages all WC students to continue attending their meetings and events throughout the remainder of the semester. Information about the events as they are released can be found at @wacbsu on Instagram.
Photo Courtesy of Jonah Nicholson
Featured Photo Caption: Junior Mariama Keita hopping on the stage of Tawes Theatre to share a poem with the crowd at the Black Student Union’s Poetry Slam held on Wednesday, Feb. 23.