Jay Phillips, a student in the Africana Studies department with a minor in fashion, held a poetry reading in the planetarium on Sept. 29th, opening the stage to students and alumni alike.
Phillips organized the event to showcase her fellow student’s poetry and give them a chance to share their work. “I just hope that people do what poetry does. I hope that they express themselves.” When asked how this event related to the mission of the Africana studies major, she responded, “To be able to experience things from an Afrocentric point of view is important. How can we come together and create nontraditional spaces or people to express themselves?”
The planetarium, run by Dr. Kevin Williams, included a beautiful projection for each poet, giving the audience a display of constellations. As a viewer, the feeling of listening to the poetry under the stars was compelling.
Phillips began the event with a poem of her own. Entering the show while reading a short yet powerful poem about her shared pain and anger with her ancestors. Highlighting the illusion of equality through material things in the modern world. “Just because we attain these objects of wealth, we are still far from being equal… let alone free.” said Phillips.
Phillips then introduced multiple alumni to the show, each sharing strong slam poems about the Black experience in America. Each poem had a unique flow and message that was incredibly touching.
Jahnay Morehead, re-activation president of the Kappa Pi chapter and Buff state alumni, was one of the first performers. She opened her set by announcing she’d decided to open with a different poem, one that expressed her anger after a bad day. In her interview later, Morehead expressed that as a Black woman she often feels like her emotions need to be pushed down or kept in check. And during her poetry process, she’s allowed to feel.
Political awareness chair and USG senator Elisha Martin, was another Buff state alumni with an interesting poem to share. The poem was titled “Lottery Tickets”, a piece he wrote for another event about the American dream. The Lottery tickets themselves were a metaphor for the gaps between rich and poor, as well as families unable to build generational wealth. The poem was inspired by his childhood memories of his grandmother, buying lottery ticket after lottery ticket. “She spent so many dollars on lottery tickets.” Martin said.” And I was just thinking like yo… what if every dollar she spent on a lottery ticket she spent on us. She spent money on a dream she had.”
The students, spanning from freshman to seniors, also had some interesting and compelling poems to share. Some exploring difficult themes such as male suicide and racial injustice.
Naomi Granger, a sophomore and English major, gave a particularly powerful performance. She gave a set of multiple poems, each expressing a different theme. Her first was called “Angry Black Woman” and according to Granger, was a representation of her self-discovery at Buff state. In her interview, Granger talked about how her anger and emotions were perceived. At home, she was always expected to keep her anger and emotions in check. But when she came to Buff state, she described a sense of freedom and liberation. “It was so freeing to be around people who would scream just as loud as you.” She stated. “Then I came home, and my dad was tellin me… Don’t do that… No Imma scream if I wanna scream.”
Her second poem was a look into the male perspective. Granger’s poem titled “Boy” was an emotional, eye-opening view on the pressure society puts on men to always be strong. When asked what inspired this piece, Granger mentioned her father and expressed how she saw many boys at Buff state go through similar struggles of identity and self-worth. “You’re marshmallow all the way down.” she said, in reference to her father. “And when they bury you those muscles will mean nothing. And then I came to college and found my father’s face in so many little boys.”
According to Granger, this was her first time performing her poems in front of a crowd. “I was so excited and so nervous… but not really nervous cause I knew I’d eat!” She also expressed the feeling of having supportive friends in the crowd, loudly cheering her on. “Even though I got me, other people got me.”
There were many other students that gave compelling poems in relation to their family. Serena Spangler, a junior and member of the Record, gave a touching poem about her relationship with her mother. “My mom is my best friend in the whole world, and we did not start off that way…” Spangler said. “Being able to connect my growth back to when we became really really close… Her always telling me to keep moving…That one was absolutely for her.”
The performance came to a close with another poem performed by Phillips, while the audience relaxed to serene music and a stary sky.
