Def Poetry Jam 9/19/09

I've been working events for 2 1/2 years now, and I can honestly say there have only been a few that stick out in my mind as inspiring and memorable.

The beginning of this school year has not proven promising. Every time I worked, something went wrong. Equipment would fail, clients would go way over their end times, departments overstepped boundaries, I would lose my cool, etc...

On my Saturday evening shift, I refused to let the event get the best of me. With a positive outlook and professional demeanor, and with enough time to set up the event, I knew I could have at least one good shift.

I was pleased beyond any expectation.

I had the honor of meeting Bruce George, the co-founder of HBO's Def Poetry Jam. He was the special guest speaker for the Poetry Club, who gave an in depth look at his rise to success and his passion for spoken word artistry. The first three hours of the event, which included a speaking portion and a poetry workshop, went almost completely unnoticed with no attendees. Finally around 9:30pm, people started to show up for the open-mic night. This is when the event truly started.
I had heard spoken word, or a Poetry Jam, in years previous in high school and on the internet, but I didn't know what to expect from peers at Towson. Needless to say, I was totally blown away. The way these students could articulate themselves with such speed, passion, and thought provoking lyrics astounded me. Students turned their lives and powerful experiences into poems, and some even brought me to tears.

The first poet spoke on how it felt to be the only person of color to graduate from her high school.
Another spoke of how it felt to be a young black man in a neighborhood highly influenced by life and crime in the street.
A young black girl exposed her addiction to drugs and the struggle she had to ween herself off.

The final girl who completely blew me away did a five-minute oration on a childhood friend who was shot and killed at a very young age. Her poem ranged from nostalgia to commenting on the black youth and the stereotypes and struggles of black culture. Of course I can't remember what she said verbatim, but her words hit me very hard. It was a shift in perspectives of understanding what it's like to grow up in an environment where people are pushed to certain limits to survive which are completely dependent on the larger context of government and city development.

It was awe-inspiring to hear voices speaking against the stereotypes of young blacks. Bruce George made a point of stressing the fact that they as young people had much more to live for than drugs, sex, violence, and gangs. He even told them not to work for anyone else but themselves.

The evening made me realized how priviledged of a life I've lived, and gave me a greater insight into the experiences of people I'll most likely encounter in my research.

Best of all, the event planner loved me so much she's requested me for all her upcoming events. And I've gotten nods from event coordinators for my job well done!

Amazing what a positive attitude will bring!

http://www.hbo.com/defpoetry/