Averett University students came together to pay homage to Black History Month through a spoken word video project. A cooperative effort between campus clubs and the African & African American studies program, the project replaced an annual open mic night typically held on campus during Black History Month.
“In past years, students, faculty and staff have participated in an open mic event in the cafeteria to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Black History Month. This year due to the pandemic, it was decided that while the event couldn’t safely be held in-person, perhaps we could coordinate a virtual session, record it and run it on campus TV screens suitable for the purpose,” said Toni Gazda, assistant professor in the department of language, literature and culture. She also serves as the coordinator for African & African American studies.
The video highlights literary voices from the past. Nine students participated with their self-selected literary selections.
Gazda described the video as moving, thought-provoking and quite beautiful.
Chase Nixon, a junior sports management major with a minor in business from Gastonia, N.C., said the project meant a lot to him.
“I love the poetry that myself and many of the other scholars read. Reading African American literature allowed us to pay homage to the African American culture,” Nixon said. “Some of the literature expressed the issues with freedom and equality long denied to Blacks.”
Excerpts include the following:
- Nicolas Guillen’s “What Color?”
- An Angela Davis excerpt from “Freedom is a Constant Struggle”
- Langston Hughes’ “Dreams, “Harlem,” “I, Too,” “Po’ Boy Blues”
- A Martin Luther King, Jr. quote
- An anonymous poem about Trayvon Martin’s death
- Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise”
- A letter from the Women’s Political Council to the Mayor of Montgomery, AL
- Gwendolyn Brooks’ “Malcolm X”
- James A. Emanuel’s “Emmett Till”
- Robert Hayden’s “School Integration Riot”
Watch the video by clicking here.
