The Black Student Union celebrated creativity and culture with an Open Mic Night through performances that highlighted artistic expression.
On Thursday, Feb. 20, the Black Student Union hosted an Open Mic Night at Rankin Stage in the David Eisler Center. The event featured a spoken word group called The Grios, based in Detroit.
The Grios is a group that travels around performing spoken word poetry. They are very passionate about sharing their experiences of the world, particularly through spoken word.
One member of The Grios Jaylen Woods is a digital animation and game design senior.
Several members of The Grios shared their spoken word pieces, as did many students. Between members of The Grios, students were given time to share their poetry and any other art form they wanted.
The Grios member Robert Cohen is a graduate of Ferris. Cohen previously spent time as an educator but now performs spoken word. Cohen wrote his debut book “It’s Just A Phase” as a freshman at Ferris.
After the event concluded, Cohen revealed his inspiration for writing poetry.
“[My inspiration is] really just my life stories and things that I feel need to be talked about, but also spoken about in a positive manner,” Cohen said.
For Cohen and many artists on campus, poetry is a vehicle for sharing their experiences and knowledge with the world.
“So rather it be a combination of things that I’ve lived or things that I’ve experienced, it also is a culmination of existence. A lot of my poetry comes from the spectrum of existing,” Cohen said.
Open Mic Night boasted a high-energy atmosphere, offering a safe space for any artists who wanted to share their work, regardless of experience.
Many pieces performed at the event focused on the Black experience, with several students sharing poems in honor of Black History Month.
Poetry wasn’t the only art form that was present at the event.
Big Rapids High School junior Jakail Strickland shared some of his original poetry and sang “Stay” by Rihanna.
Strickland has recently shared his work at other events celebrating Black History Month too.
Social work sophomore Semmon Robertson and social work junior Bryann Hill sang a duet of “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers.
Robertson is currently the vice president of the Black Student Union.
Earlier in the night, Robertson also shared some of her original songs. She also reflected on what writing music means in her own life.
“I just started writing music this past summer. When I write, I write for a reason,” Robertson said. “And so I hope that when I write, people understand and hear what I’m saying and that I can touch somebody.”
Many students, much like Robertson, place a lot of value on art forms such as music and poetry.
Those who participated in Open Mic Night were offered a space where they could share anything they wanted with people willing to celebrate their art with them.
Chemistry sophomore and treasurer of the Black Student Union AhNaviya Knox talked about why the event was put on.
“We thought this would be a pretty good event. It’s something that hasn’t really been done on campus. It was really interesting and a good thing to do for Black History Month,” Knox said.
The event gave voice to several artists who haven’t performed their original pieces.
It especially gave voice to Black artists who shared their experiences through poetry and music.
Performing and hearing poetry and music from other artists gives people a deep sense of belonging and makes them feel understood and validated in their experiences.
Open Mic Night was a great way to celebrate Black History Month and gave voices to those who otherwise may not be given the opportunity to share their stories with the world.
Bryann Hill is a former Torch employee.