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St. Cloud State University
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Spoken word unites women
By Nick Hanson
Published:
Thursday, March 6, 2003
Media Credit: Ryan Henry
Divinewords, an interdisciplinary artist from St. Paul, spoke Wednesday evening at �Holding Up Half the Sky: Women of Color honoring Women of Color,� a presentation presented by Guerrilla Wordfare. Divinewords� passionate poems about her life drew enthused applause as she spoke of hardships she has dealt with at the hands of society.
Topics such as racism, social oppression, genocide, discrimination, rape and the impending war combined to make the presentation, "Holding Up Half the Sky," which packed the Atwood Little Theatre Wednesday night.
The event featured six women of color spitting out their poems, feelings and thoughts on various social issues. Poems honored women of color for their vast struggles and accomplishments.
Poets also paid homage to International Women's Day, liberation struggles and the potential of feminism to end the oppression of women.
The women worked through Guerrilla Wordfare, an organization pledged to binding communities of color together through various forms of artistic expression.
The six women of African American, Arab American, Asian American, Indigenous and Latina backgrounds each brought something unique to the table.
Divinewords, spoken word poet, entertained while rhyming challenging issues. One of her most powerful poems entailed implications of teen pregnancy.
Native American Coya Artichoker's poems cited the oppression and struggles that her ancestors and family have faced.
In her poems, Palestinian Marwa Hassoun was not afraid to draw attention to the dire political situation and genocide that the Palestinian nation faces.
Juliana Pegues, emcee and board member for Asian American Renaissance, delved into the anti-war psyche with spoken rhyme. She spoke about 9/11 and dilemmas the nation faces.
Tatiana Ormaza started her poem about rape by giving the statistic that about 25% of the women in the room would probably be able to relate.
The finale and last spoken word entertainer, Sha Cage, sped through several genre's of poems, leaving the audience enthused.
As part of Guerilla Wordfare, each poet selects a specific organization to raise money for.
Donations and proceeds are given to a wide spectrum of groups. They include Asian Immigrant Women Advocates, Cangleska, Casa de Esperanza, the Harriet Tubman Center, Wayside House Inc. and the Women's Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling.
To say the least, the audience was responsive to the poems. Shouts and cheers were hailed throughout the performances.
"They were really emotional, the anti-war aspect is really inspirational," senior Audra Magel said. "These issues are so important; you could get a lot out of what they said by the way it was put across."
Social issues such as rape affect all women, she said.
The event was a definite inspiration according to student Chrissy Roe.
"It touched on so many different issues, like loving yourself and not letting other people put you down," Roe said.
Some of the issues, sometimes described as taboo, need to be talked about, said St. Cloud citizen Katherine Graham.
"The poetry was excellent, it can raise awareness and make it (social issues) okay to talk about," she said.
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