To culminate the celebration of African American history month, the Black Student Union hosted their first “Cultural Open Mic Night” on February 25 in which attending students showcased their great talents and cultural appreciation.
The night opened with the hosts bantering back and forth with the feats of iconic champions of culture such as W.E. B. du Bois, Martin Luther King, and Frederick Douglass. Following the opening were performances ranging from slam poetry to song numbers and instrumental pieces.
“We provide a space for all the students on campus to come together and showcase their talent, maybe in poems, something lyrical, song, a dance, or even a monologue. These pieces can relieve stress. [It allows other] people to hear their emotions or anything [that’s] going on inside them, especially for those who cannot fully express themselves in actions. Their acts tonight will show who they are,” said Black Student Union President, Carlie Bardier.
Senior and economics major, Joel Woolfork attended “Open Mic Night” to watch people express their cultural identity and to support his friend Devonyo Bills, who performed an inspirational rap song.
For Woolfork, “It’s cool because we’re allowed to do these days when back then we couldn’t express ourselves.” He added that, “I wish I’d done more stuff like these throughout my time here because this is my last semester.”
It’s also encouraging to see the audience with a variety of racial and cultural backgrounds. Not only were African American students welcome to perform but also all students from all races represented at UC Merced.
“UC Merced has a diverse student body. We want students to be heard. Students are heard through events like these. The performances and acts tonight hopefully enrich and remind our student community of their culture,” explained Selasie de-Souza, treasurer of Black Student Union, about the importance of “Cultural Open Mic Night.”
One of the performers, Christina Rayer, fifth year psychology major and sociology minor, said about performing in front of the crowd, “It feels great, there’s a rush that I get every time I perform but even when I mess up and make mistakes the audience is very welcoming and encouraging so I appreciate that very much, it feels awesome to perform.”
Nadine Apilado
Staff writer
napilado@ucmerced.edu
Image credit: http://sabaax.com/