Last Friday evening, attendees of the Black Students’ Alliance Night of Free Expression were exposed to not only guest poet Amanda Diva, but also to the writings of their peers. The culminaiton of Black Awareness Week, the event also featured a small a capella gospel group and a group of poets from a night-club in Albany. Diva—who has been seen on HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam” as well as in many other poetry events, was brought in for the event.
The stage alternated between Diva, with her drummer and groups of RPI students. The air was filled with very powerful rhymes, awesome beats, and lots of heart-felt emotion. If any of the orators were amateurs it was very hard to tell. There was quite a bit of audience participation, some asked for and some not. The energy in the room was constantly explosive as was reflected in the enthusiasm of the crowd when it came time to applaud the participants.
Most of the readings were about issues that many black youths growing up today have to deal with—ethnicity, heritage, racism, poverty, love, and betrayal. A segment of the show dealt with three different views on ghettos and Diva later did a very eye-opening piece on our country’s incarceration system, addressing both sides of the issue. Diva’s political commentary put a wider perspective on issues of much concern to her audience.
Diva had a very free-flowing style about her poetry that evening, as she would explain to the audience what the piece was going to be about and then go straight into it without pause or notification. Diva also stunningly interwove her singing and the accompanying drummer into much of her performance. One of her poems dealt with how “ebonics” is truthfully people taking the beat that comes from their African heritage and using it in everyday language and speech.
She discussed how there was a time when she did not embrace “the rhythm,” though it was quite evident in her amazing rhymes and her ability to stay on beat that she currently embraces “the rhythm” in all its forms. Diva is worried that too many people are looking at “rapping” as a profession instead of as another art form. However, the talent presented by Diva showed a young lady at the head of her art form.
Students of RPI also brought their great talents to the stage. Although many readings Friday night were about dealing with racism as a Black American, one young Jewish woman brought her perspectives of having to deal with hate based on race.
One young man discussed the differences between people from the South compared to those from the Northeast. The night was not only about poetry however, as the name implies all forms of expression were welcomed.
A satirical article about black domination of the music charts—which came from Statler &Waldorf—was also read to mixed reactions from the crowd. The a capella performance from a small group of a local gospel choir also got a strong response from the audience after three inspiring religious hymns.
The two-hour event held in the McNeil room was highly educational as well as entertaining and engaging. There were no open seats and with good reason; anyone who was within earshot could not help but be drawn into the scene. Judging by the reaction of the audience, the night was a total success.
