Writing Program Hosts Open Mic Night
Kamila Kinyon

On Tuesday, February 24, the Writing Program hosted an open mic night on diversity. Held at Sidelines Pub, the event was attended by a number of students and writing program faculty, including organizers Heather Martin, David Daniels, and Kamila Kinyon. Speakers were introduced by former poetry slam winner Russ Takeall. The event was a success, with dynamic performers and a lively interest from the audience.

The first performance was by a group of students from the campus organization Asian Student Alliance (ASA). Their skit, Insolidarity, demonstrated discrimination against Asian-Americans. Through a slideshow and posters, the skit illustrated scenes from the history of Asian discrimination, ranging from the mistreatment of 19th-century Chinese railroad workers, to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, to the stereotyping of Asians after the Virginia Tech shootings. The skit left viewers with an urgent call to action -- to work in solidarity against discrimination: If we are passive and do nothing, nothing happens. Rough it out and ask questions. Stand in solidarity for change.

A number of inspired readings and performances about race, class, and gender followed Insolidarity. Race and class were central themes of the narrative poem Light Rail Ghetto by Don, who related a bus experience in which he made assumptions he later regretted about people exiting at Colfax station, a destination he had automatically associated with crime and poverty. Russ Takeall then presented a slam poem focusing on the corruptness of government social policies in which minorities feel like state property in days of despair. A second slam performance by Lorenzo also focused on the sense of entrapment experienced by minorities.

A more humorous tenor followed in the Onion article read by Jeremy. According to this satire about post-election changes in racial climate, the nations blacks have experienced beaming Caucasians making eye contact on the street or on buses. Respondents stated that they are petrified by the change and cant be in a bar when the news is on. Following these quips about the nations climate, the next speaker, Sarah, focused on DU through her essay on racial inequality. Sarah stressed that rather than focusing on a mascot change, we need to reach out to other races and diversify our university. Next came an excerpt from The Vagina Monologues. This duet focused on the discrimination that women face through such atrocities as female genital mutilation, which is purportedly practiced in twenty-eight countries. The Vagina Monologues performers encouraged the audience to attend the full event later in the week at DU.

It was great to hear another lively and provocative open mic night at DU and to later see students responding to the event in writing. Mary Kate De Graw, for example, posted her response to the event in a blog posted for Geoffrey Batemans writing class. As this and other DU open mic nights have demonstrated, DU students are making their voices heard about social issues of consequence.

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