The Compassionate Groove
by Leora Jackson
On a cool Saturday evening June 20, at Common Grounds Coffee bar, a
young hostess prepped and prepared the stage for what was to become an
emotional, emphatic, empowering night in which all listeners left with a
feeling of accomplishment, awareness and understanding.
That’s what Poetic
Justice Open Mic #3 presented as the Compassionate Groove continued…
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| Jared Carter and Tina Gaston singing Nothing in this World |
Patricia Rodriguez and Lakeesha Shaw, the hostesses for the
event, opened the stage with Tina Gaston and Jared Carter, HandsUPNWA founders
as they gave acknowledgement to the recent tragedy of the Charleston 9. The HandsUPNWA Duo later sung, "Nothing in this world" by KeKe Wyatt and Avant.
Rodriguez, turned up the temperature in the room, by
reciting a poem that her 14 year old son Diego wrote titled, ‘The Heat is on’.
“To say the heat is
on is to remember the summer’s dawn,” said Rodriguez.
The other hostess Ms. Shaw gave us a deep, cultural poem
from a classmate that was written in 1996 by Jared Simmons.
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| Lakeesha Shaw |
“Just like any other race, there lies a man behind each
face. .. each chooses what he wants to be. His choices should not change the
way you choose to treat black me. From this burden set me free.”
Abel Perry came up to do his poem, “Its Not JUST music.” He
described how his love of music is embraced and powerful! “Its not just the
beats ..music is much more than that.”
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| Abel Perry |
And the best way to appreciate music, is with great songs
from great musical artists such as Human Nature by Michael Jackson. This song
was sung by a poet, musician, and
dynamic middleman in the community, Stephen Coger. His singing was awesome! The
crowd sung along in unison with,
“If they say, Why, why, tell 'em that it's human nature.
Why, why, does he do it that way. If they say, Why, why, tell 'em that it's
human nature. Why, why does he do me that way.”
Anne Shelly, Executive Director for the Rape Crisis Intervention Center, gave a few words comparing rape victims and racial discrimination victims.
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| Stephen Coger singing Human Nature |
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| Anne Shelley |
“In regards to the Charleston killing, it is racial motivated…it is a hate crime! Very few victims of Racial Discrimination ever…ever..ever..ever..ever ..get JUSTICE,” she said.
Irvin Camacho enlightening the audience of Dream Walking as it related to feelings toward immigration and overcoming obstacles to rise above and continuing toward a dream.
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| Irvin Camacho |
David Garcia of Fayetteville Free Zone and Jane Stitt of NWA IWOC (Incarcerated Workers Organization Committee) came up to talk about Charleston. David explained that this is a very emotional moment to continue to see killings, shootings, murders of black people.
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| Jane Stitt and David Garcia |
“Amazing grace! How sweet the sound. That saved a wretch
like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see. ….When
we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less
days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.” And the audience chimed
in singing along, with a feeling of
connectedness.
Myrlinda Huff came up next to talk about wanting and feeling
the experience of Love.
“I want love to rain down on me, and I want to taste the
Love on my lips” she said.
Gaston, came back to the stage and read a poem titled, I’m
not your average Black Girl, in which she gave credit to the other women who
paved the way, like Rosa, Angela Davis, Harriet Tubman and more.
"They say I'm not your average black girl because I speak so well," she said.
"They say I'm not your average black girl because I speak so well," she said.
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| Myrlinda Huff |
F.L. Jones did a spin on a rap, called, “Don’t Blame Me,” in
which she talks about her cousin Lupe who seems to always be in trouble. It had
a nice beat to it.
“Don’t blame me when I tell you what Lupe did. He got
caught, boy it was stupid…..Don’t blame me when I tried to get away. I turned around
and told Lupe, ‘Have a nice day.” But, no..he did not let me go. He escorted me
to the front door,” rapped Jones.
The audience joined in with finger snaps and laughed at the
funny, comical rap about her troublesome cousin Lupe. Then Jones got serious
with her poem called, “Shake the Hands.”
“I wish I could go back in time and Shake the hands of the
people who gave birth to me, paved a way for me, slaved for me, struggled for
me and died for me. I wish I could go back in time and shake the hands of
Martin Luther King and say, Martin…we’re still trying to live your dream, but
it seems that society is still so unfair and mean.”
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| F. L. Jones |
Jones gave a dramatic episode in a monologue as she
conversed with Rosa Parks while sitting on the bus and also a moving episode of
walking with Trayvon Martin before he was shot. Jones had the audience feeling
a connection between time zones as she also wished to go back in time to shake
the hands of those 4 little girls in the Birmingham Church Bombing in 1963,
which felt similar to the Charleston 9 church shooting.
“4 little girls who were targeted because of race, would
never again get to see their parents or sibling’s face, as they were taking
home to their final resting place on September 15, 1963 as bombs destroyed that
place,” said Jones.
Later the hostesses Rodriquez and Shaw came up to the mic to
declare a moment of silence and read off the names of the Charleston 9.
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| Monica Ramos |
Monica Ramos came to the mic to say a poem about her friend
Patricia Rodriguez, the hostess.
“She is a passionate person. There is nothing she works
harder on than being a parent for her son”
Laura Newman came up to do spoken word about White privilege and how she encountered it in the education setting while working on her dissertation.
Laura Newman came up to do spoken word about White privilege and how she encountered it in the education setting while working on her dissertation.
“You have some white people who have so much privilege and
this isn’t fair,” said Newman, who is also white. “They are just oblivious to
what is occurring with minorities and are only about their ego and about
themselves. It is disgusting, really. If you can’t change it, you just have to
get thru it”
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| Laura Newman |
Laasean Willis performed 2 songs, Comfort Inn by Jhene' Aiko and Why don't we fall in love by Amaire, with her last song describing loneliness.
“I’ve been on a loneliness paradise,” she sung. Her voice
displayed love lost and the feelings that is encountered when one is without
their love. A very moving and deep song.
Overall, the Compassionate Groove was still present and very much engaging
and flowing through the veins of all who attended.
Stay tuned to Poetic Justice Open Mic #4 in August. What will the next Groove be like???
Come and find out!
Check Facebook for Poetice Justice Open Mic #4 soon.
"Party in the city where the heat is on
All night, in NWA till the break of dawn
Welcome to Poetic Justice!"
Speaking on the stage when the mic is warm
All night, in the club till the break of dawn
I'm goin to Poetic Justice."
Welcome to Poetic Justice."
Stay tuned to Poetic Justice Open Mic #4 in August. What will the next Groove be like???
Come and find out!
Check Facebook for Poetice Justice Open Mic #4 soon.
"Party in the city where the heat is on
All night, in NWA till the break of dawn
Welcome to Poetic Justice!"
Speaking on the stage when the mic is warm
All night, in the club till the break of dawn
I'm goin to Poetic Justice."
Welcome to Poetic Justice."
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| Poetic Justice Open Mic Team and some remaining audience members June 20, 2015 |
Photography by Patricia Rodriquez, Hannah LaReau, Irvin Camacho & Leora Jackson
Poetry Reviews:
“The event was fantastic: the artists talented, the audience
attentive, and the vibe was just perfect.
It felt like a safe space for everybody.” Stephen Coger
“The event was cool and laid back very eye opening made you
think. Very refreshing and the dancing at the end was fun.” Ugochi Iloka
"I really enjoyed hosting it was a first experience for me and I just hope those in attendance had a good time and spread the word about upcoming poetic justice events." Patricia Rodriquez
"Poetic justice open Mic nights are more than just poetic food to feed your ears. .. it feeds the soul too." Tina Gaston
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