5 Impactful Poetry Performances to Watch for Beyond Black History Month
Teaching Black History Through Performance and Spoken Word
Danez Smith - Alternate Heaven for Black Boys
“But somebody prayed we’d rest in peace
And here we are
In peace … whole
All summer…”
Kai Davis - Ain’t I A Woman
“This is what it means to be a contradiction
Too black to be a woman and not man enough to be black
This is what is means to occupy a vacant space
Have every slash each cross stitch intersection of my identity with a straight blade
Tell me to pick one label or none at all; but ain’t I a woman?”
Black History Month is celebrated every February. Introduced back in 1926, the inception began in 1915 when the founder of this celebratory month, Carter G. Woodson, travelled from Washington, D.C, to Chicago Illinois, to celebrate the anniversary of emancipation of slaves. This 3-week long event, filled with exhibits of progress since emancipation turned into a push to turn the month of February (selected because of birthdays of Frederick Douglass- Famous slave -turned abolitionist and Abraham Lincoln- U.S. President who put the Emancipation Proclamation into law in 1863) into a month for the historical remembrance of black history.
As an educator, I make it my personal goal to educate my students, of various backgrounds, on the contributions, talent and deep history of African-Americans, Africans and Caribbean-Americans during this period. While it is a daunting task due to the shortness of the month, the vacation that occur half way through and the grandiose number of contributions that the United States Government attempts to erase ( the fact of simply teaching Martin Luther King with no mandatory reference to Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Medgar Edgar, the Black Panther Party or Shirley Chisolm in schooling is egregious and telling), I enjoy the ability to focus young minds on history that came before them and history will still exist after them.
One of the easiest ways to teach and speak to history is through Slam Poetry. While I admit I also throw Rap and Hip-Hop analysis that is rife with commentary on black history, Slam Poetry has a way of impact as it is creative words paired with performance, which adds a unique interpretation to tonality for the author and mood as an audience. Slam Poetry is a competitive art form as you have 3 minutes and 10 seconds to perform your poem. Additionally, it requires 5 strangers to rate your poetry performance from a scale of 0 to 10.
Out of the 5 judges, the highest and lowest score is dropped and your average is determined by the median 3 remaining judges. This was pivotal for my college career, as I partook in this art form and developed a strong community, which allowed me to come across some amazing people and poets who I am still in contact with today.
While I could give you 28 various poems to celebrate this month, I present to you 5 Impactful Slam Poetry performances that one should watch for Black History Month, as each poem provides a unique take on the struggles black identity goes through, the importance of speaking to the tribulations of black struggles, the impact of Police brutality and provides insight to how one can interpret and overcomes such struggles.
Loyce Gayo- How We Forget
“We Forgot Sodom and Gomorrah were leveled by Brimstone and Divine Judgment
But Mississippi is still standing
We forgot cities are still burning
We forgot colors are seasonal
And that this skin will fade too…”
Dominique Christina - Karma
“If I could write this shit in fire, I would write this shit in fire.
This ain't poetry, this is rage unmated, a verb, a means and end.
This is my body. This is Sankofa, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, South side Chicago,
Compton, California. Redhook Projects in Jersey, Roosevelt Projects in Brooklyn.”
Joel Francois - Haiti
“What is the point of speaking two languages
If all it does is give you more ways to say ‘dead’ and ‘black’
My tongue becomes a borderless cemetery
I have bodies to bury in both languages…”
