Last night I checked out S.P.E.A.K. -- Song.Poetry.Expression.Art.Knowledge. -- Cafe, an open mic night with a social justice focus set-up by UIUC's African American Studies and Research Program and the Krannert Art Museum.
Um, coolest thing ever.
Highlights included a student from Urbana High School who read about the ways that she wants to resist the image of the "video ho" that she's told to emulate; a student from Centennial who read his scathing adaptation of the Bibical Sermon on the Mount that ended with "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs are the streets of America;" and a guy who looked to be college-student age who read about refusing love as the path to oneness, or completeness, or happiness, or whatever. He introduced his work by saying that he was writing against the notion that you gotta be all blues when she's gone and left you, and once she comes back you go jazz. Love it.
The next one is November 8th from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the cafe in Krannert Art Museum. Seriously, check it out if you're in C-U.
1 comment:
OMG, Ellen, I wanted to come. Srsly.
One thing I love about my culture is the proliferation of open mic/spoken word/rap and hip hop at it's finest, true purpose and meaning. To uplift, to educate, to inspire. We have a lot of that here -- open mic every Thursday in the cafe, fresh with original jazz music, improvisation with a social justice bent. Everyone is sitting, chilling with a latte, bobbing their heads to the beat. It's irresistible.
I love it.
But no C-U for me -- just Atlanta. The adaptation of the Sermon sounds really, really cool.
-melissa
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