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Volume CXXXII, Number 12 |
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Passion, poeting, and performance in Pickard
HANNAH DEAN
STAFF WRITER
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| Mike Chan '05 addresses students in Pickard Theater on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Along with performances by Poeting, several students spoke alongside Phil Hansen '64 (Karsten Moran, Bowdoin Orient) |
Despite the busy flurry of starting classes, a select group of Bowdoin students did manage to attend to the memory of a great figure not only in American History but also in Human History. He was a man who was able to see beyond petty day-to-day troubles and turn his own eyes - and the eyes of a nation - towards greater and more magnanimous goals. For those of you who let the day go by without remembering, Monday, January 20 was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
In Pickard Theater, performances by the Poeting club, a talk by Phil Hansen ('64), and a solo performance by Kimberly Johnson (06) pulled together the spirit of King's vision. Janelle Charles (06) began the evening with opening comments. Moved to tears by the indescribable nature and implications of the day of remembrance, Charles noted that, at times "we forget that the fight is not over." By her very tone, Charles demanded the attention of the audience. If any attendee had come feeling indifferent to the day, Charles' comments erased this indifference. "This day means something to me" she said, "let it mean something to you as well."
Alkhaaliq Bashir (05) carried on Charles' energy in his performance piece. One phrase seemed to sum up the passion behind his message: "what do I want…I want freedom." Bashir commented afterwards that Poeting employs "activism, poetry and other aspects of performance to bring awareness and attention to the effects and existence of discrimination and other political ideas." In terms of King specifically, Bashir commented that this figurehead of the Civil Rights movement "gives me a continuous flow of inspiration for poetry and conduct. I used to be the one ready to throw a fist but after it just made more sense to talk out differences if possible." Martin Luther King Jr. day is "a day to recharge our passion" and "to better our country by coming closer to racial equality."
Like Bashir, Michael Chan (05), another Poeter, commented that he thought that "the event was very successful yet it lacked the attendance that it had last year." However, Chan also commented that he aspires to affect people deeply and that numbers do not matter. Whether it is one person or the kind of crowds that King spoke to, Chan is satisfied being a part of the process of making people aware of the fight that still continues on today against discrimination. On the other hand, Chan did note that "the subtleties that have become so characteristic of racism in America" are, in some ways, far more dangerous than the open forms of discrimination that people faced in the 1960's. "For one," said Chan, "they are far easier to ignore."
Phil Hansen (64), an alumnus of Bowdoin College gave a historical perspective to the Poeters' performances. With his anecdotes about participating in a student exchange program with a historically black college, Morehouse college, he added substance to the passion of the celebration thus far. During the exchange, Hansen participated in a picket line among black students. As the only white protesting, he was singled out by an angry white man in the surrounding crowd who screamed into his face "nigger lover."
It was at this point, said Hansen, that he made a conscience decision to claim a moral standpoint and to stand firmly behind it. He called such moments as these "Huck Fin moments," in reference to one of Mark Twain's fictional characters who decided that he would rather go to hell than turn his friend in as a runaway slave. Hansen noted that "all of us grow up at some point and each of us has a Huck moment." For him, it was facing up to the angry mob member and not being afraid anymore.
The evening concluded with a solo performance by Kimberly Johnson who sang with heart wrenching fervor. A reception followed in Drake Lobby and a Discussion Group met in the Café Lounge of David Saul Smith Union following the Campus Celebration.
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