Black History Month Arts Slam
Civil rights inspire performances
Jonathan Jordan
Issue date: 2/25/09 Section: News
African-American visionaries from the obscure to the infamous lined the walls of TH 105 as part of the Black History Month decorations. Meanwhile, guests sat down to enjoy a soul food dinner consisting of macaroni and cheese, rice and beans, collard greens, fried chicken, and cornbread. Apart from the dinner, an arts portion of the evening stressed not only aspects of the African-American experience, but also the need for diversity and working across racial and ethnic lines to solve problems.
These events were all part of second annual Black History Month Arts Slam held by Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. In addition to spoken word and step dance performances, guest speaker, Lisa Harper, Executive Director of NY Faith & Justice expressed her ideas about civil rights.
One of the chief event organizers, Tawanna Shaw, a Hunter senior, stated that she was pleased with the way the evening went. Shaw along with her brother, Artie Shaw, performed together with his spoken word to her step dance accompaniment.
Artie Shaw said it took him a few hours to get his thoughts down on paper for the three spoken word pieces he performed. When asked about his inspiration for the pieces titled "We are Family," "The Time is Now" and "Step it Up," respectively, he cited "the New Testament teachings of people being of one accord [in agreement] regardless of race, color, or gender."
Tawanna Shaw also spoke about why the spoken word/step dance fusion performances were incorporated into the program.
"We live in a time where performing arts are becoming part of our generation's way of expressing ourselves without using ordinary words. Hunter College is a campus (like many campuses in New York) where students are encouraged by performing arts, especially spoken word and dance. More performances including these things will definitely draw in a crowd and capture student & faculty attention in a way that ordinary speaking just can't."
Lisa Harper's speech on race and faith rounded off the evening.
"I think the most important thing to take away is that the African American struggle for civil rights was fueled by our fundamental belief that we are made in the image of God, and thus possess inherent dignity, worthy of protection under the law. But for Jesus civil rights are not enough. Jesus is passionate about human rights," she stressed.
NY Faith & Justice is a faith based organization working to end poverty in NYC via spiritual formation, education, and direct advocacy.
Intervarsity Christian Fellowship is located in TH 113 and has weekly meetings on Mondays at 2:30pm, Tuesdays at 2pm, and Wednesdays at 6pm. The club will also be bringing renowned Christian apologist, Norman Geisler, to Hunter campus on Tuesday March 24th,
These events were all part of second annual Black History Month Arts Slam held by Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. In addition to spoken word and step dance performances, guest speaker, Lisa Harper, Executive Director of NY Faith & Justice expressed her ideas about civil rights.
One of the chief event organizers, Tawanna Shaw, a Hunter senior, stated that she was pleased with the way the evening went. Shaw along with her brother, Artie Shaw, performed together with his spoken word to her step dance accompaniment.
Artie Shaw said it took him a few hours to get his thoughts down on paper for the three spoken word pieces he performed. When asked about his inspiration for the pieces titled "We are Family," "The Time is Now" and "Step it Up," respectively, he cited "the New Testament teachings of people being of one accord [in agreement] regardless of race, color, or gender."
Tawanna Shaw also spoke about why the spoken word/step dance fusion performances were incorporated into the program.
"We live in a time where performing arts are becoming part of our generation's way of expressing ourselves without using ordinary words. Hunter College is a campus (like many campuses in New York) where students are encouraged by performing arts, especially spoken word and dance. More performances including these things will definitely draw in a crowd and capture student & faculty attention in a way that ordinary speaking just can't."
Lisa Harper's speech on race and faith rounded off the evening.
"I think the most important thing to take away is that the African American struggle for civil rights was fueled by our fundamental belief that we are made in the image of God, and thus possess inherent dignity, worthy of protection under the law. But for Jesus civil rights are not enough. Jesus is passionate about human rights," she stressed.
NY Faith & Justice is a faith based organization working to end poverty in NYC via spiritual formation, education, and direct advocacy.
Intervarsity Christian Fellowship is located in TH 113 and has weekly meetings on Mondays at 2:30pm, Tuesdays at 2pm, and Wednesdays at 6pm. The club will also be bringing renowned Christian apologist, Norman Geisler, to Hunter campus on Tuesday March 24th,
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