Poetry was sung, rapped our just plain recited during last Tuesday’s Poetry Slam at the Library Lawn.
The African American Student Society held a celebration in honor of Black History month with spoken word, food and art. The event was kicked of by two women that sang the Black National Anthem and was followed by a reading of a list of African American innovators, including Barack Obama, being the first year of the first black man in presidency.
“As a club, we want to have the ladder effect on each other, we all pull each other up,” said club president Deborah Addison of the club’s ambition, which was expressed by the performers.
“I read the poem ‘And Tomorrow’ because it touched me,” said Sherman Clark, music major and organizer of the event of the 2Pac poem he read, “It was talking about how tomorrows a new day, and it was deep. I wanted to share it with other people.”
The money raised from the mashed potatoes, chicken and lemonade sold at the event is going towards helping the students of the club by buying books or whatever we might need to help us study said Clark.
“People were stopping and it got them hooked,” said Kimberly Davis, vice president of the A.A.S.U. Passersby got drawn in by the food and stayed for the poetry.
Although the CD player wasn’t working the club still had a great time putting on the event.
“We captured the softness and hardness of spoken word,” said former El Camino College student and Slam winner, Lyric, of the performers at the event. She captured he women with her performance speaking of women’s issues and situations and even got the men’s attention by rapping the beginning of her poem. She even got a guy to take off his headphones she said laughing.
“We all got a lot of feedback,” said Davis, “A lot of ooohs and aaahs and cheering and joking.” Although the goal of the event was to bring people together in light of poetry the event was tinged with silliness and fun which was expressed by the laughter permeating the event.