Ticker

Issue date: 12/3/07 Section: Features

Media Credit: Special to the Ticker Members of The Black Student Union, above, hosted their first successful event this semester.

The Black Student Union hosted its first event titled "Spoken Word: Express Yourself" on Thursday, Nov. 8. Onstage from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., students showcased their creative talents to their peers.

It was an hour before the show actually started. At the peak of the evening, about 130 people were present. According to Nindja Bazile, former president of African Students Association, BSU's predecessor, less than half of that amount attended previous spoken word events. She says, "I am really happy about the outcome."

The prominent theme of the evening was of self-love, as well as the struggle and image of blacks in America. All this was shown through singing, poetry and rap. Dexter Jones, who recited three poems, asked blacks to remember the journey: where they came from and where they are now. Hayden Green, Baruch alumnus, used his poetry to compare the preparation of a meal by a woman for a man as a sign of love, nurturing and devotion. He asked not to judge people by the food they eat, referring to the stereotype of Blacks eating watermelon and fried chicken.

The master of ceremonies was Chris Holder, a 24-year-old mortgage and stock broker who is working on a degree in accounting at Hunter College. Charlisse Holder, who is the brother of BSU's president, stressed the importance of accumulating wealth instead of creating debt. He advised the black community to learn about money management from credible sources like SmartMoney magazine.

"I enjoyed the MC's comments about building our wealth and taking the time out to read magazines about investing instead of those based on spending," says Sehaguay Gouede, 21, a language arts major at Hunter College. "The performances were good and what the performers shared was worth listening to."

One memorable performance involved Eric "Sky-o" Eliely rapping a cappella after three failed attempts to play his background music with a malfunctioning CD player. His songs revealed the pain, despair, and the desire to give up on music and give into the negativity of life. But God, he rapped, "resurrected" his soul. He also delved into the other side of the common love story - a good man loving the wrong woman.

Ariyanto Jahja gave another memorable performance as the audience snapped their fingers, clapped hands and sung along to his cover of "Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White Ts. Dhanha Bien-Aime, 21, a communications major called his performance "a chain reaction with audience members singing along and waving their hands to the song."

Describing her event, President Holder says, "I am completely ecstatic that we overdid ourselves and it paid off." Next semester BSU plans to organize their first annual cultural show entitled "A Tribute to Black Unity." The event was co-sponsored by Undergraduate Student Government, Chinese Students Association, NABA, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, La Unidad Latina, Hip Hop 201, WBMB and Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc.

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