Southern Utah University’s Black Student Union and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences teamed up to co-host a spoken word night in the Hunter Conference Center’s Whiting Room from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 15. Students were invited to present their own work or share the poetry of their favorite Black artist in celebration of Black History Month.
“In Black culture, especially African American culture, our ancestors weren’t taught how to read and write,” explained Paige Iverson, the president of BSU. “So a lot of what we know about our history and our past is from spoken word.”
Because spoken word performance and poetry are forms of art, the event ties into this year’s theme for Black History Month, which is “African Americans and the Arts.”
“It was really important for us to acknowledge that art form and make sure that people understand that we really turned poetry into what it is now through the stories our ancestors have been telling us for centuries,” said Iverson.
Hanna Muzquiz, the student senator for HSS, was also in attendance.
“I love poetry,” Muzquiz shared. “ I think that spoken word, poetry, lyricism, all things like that, are possibly the most human way to communicate. There is nothing more human than art.”
Shared aside from the spoken word poetry was work by notable figures such as Lewis Allan, Billie Holiday, Lucille Clifton, Martin Luther King Jr. and others.
The next BSU event will be a karaoke night, which will take place on March 11 in the Sharwan Smith Student Center Starlight Room. To stay up to date with other BSU news, follow their Instagram page.
Author: Gentry Wolf
Photos: Lukas Hassell
Editor: Nick Stein
life@suunews.net
