By Griffin Mancuso
As the light faded from the towering windows lining the side of the Gutswurrak Student Activities Center and lively conversations dwindled into silence, Sarai Bordeaux stood at a podium in front of dozens of student and community members — fist pressed against their heart, breathing slowly and deeply. The silence was then broken by a loud, passionate holler.
“We are so glad you are here, glad your body is here, your mind and your spirit, too,” Bordeaux said. “Glad that you have accepted this invitation, agreed to the deeper learning — the deeper learning of our names through the stories of others.”
The People’s Mic Poetry Slam on Feb. 8, hosted by the Umoja Center and Black Humboldt as a part of Black Liberation Month, was a space where joy, grief, anger and hope let themselves loose. Students and local artists, including Sarai Bordeaux, Ra Mhtp, Bamidele and artist duo Mo’Love performed original works reflecting their experiences with Black culture, love, community and more. The night included a guest performance by LA-based artist and award-winning poet Bay Davis and an open-mic portion for the audience.
Alexus-Harrelle Deshazier, the head coordinator for the Umoja Center, emphasized the importance of engaging with Black students on campus and was overjoyed at the level of attendance and support for the poetry slam.
“We had close to 40 individuals sign in and attend throughout the event,” Deshazier wrote via email. “What I was most impressed with was the level of engagement from the audience with our performers. I truly felt they showed a genuine level of appreciation of their art and what the performers had to share.”
Sarai Bordeaux, a Humboldt State alum and Education Resource Innovator for Black Humboldt, who hosted the poetry slam initially became involved through Black Humboldt. They described poetry as a vessel for authenticity and honesty that they don’t always get to express.
“Poetry is the only space where I get to yell,” Bordeaux said. “And so that’s what really draws me to it is like, I don’t have to hold my tongue — it’s mine. It’s mine, so I can do what I want with it.”
All Love Aundrea, one half of Mo’Love, shared a blend of poetry and acapella with the crowd. She described her goal with poetry as healing racial trauma by uplifting Black arts and culture. She also hopes to provide a space for her and other Black women to feel the love of their community.
“You know that saying, ‘To know me is to love me?’” Aundrea said. “That is one of my biggest goals for my audience — to just let them see me, let them love me, because everybody who I symbolize as a Black woman, it will translate to them and to the Black community as well.”
Deshazier hoped for attendees to take away the historical significance of art in the Black community and encourage everyone to join in celebration.
“I want people to leave this event, and all of our events, understanding the incredible impact the Black and Brown community provide in terms of art and culture in this country,” Deshazier said. “We have a long history of channeling our pain and frustrations into the beauty that is expressed in our art. This event was a representation of this history.”
Bay Davis began her performance with a grounding exercise before launching into a series of vulnerable poems on her experiences with Black culture and her queer identity, carrying the audience with her on an emotional journey that concluded with a standing ovation. Her first poem of the night challenged the idea of Black joy as a radical act or sacrifice, instead calling for it to be the standard rather than the exception.
“I’m gonna teach my grandchildren not to fight like a boy or a girl,” Davis said. “Are they Black? Are they Brown? I’m going to teach them to fight. I, God willing, am going to live long enough to teach my grandchildren to fight like they are going to win. That’s all that we can do.”
Aundrea described how Davis’ presence provided a space for trans people within the Black community.
“When we lift up people who don’t normally have those spaces, magic happens,” Aundrea said. “It felt like church in here — it felt better than church.”
The messages in Davis’ poetry resonated with Bordeaux in a way that they felt they needed. Davis called for dignity to be more than radical, the elements of prayer and her promises to herself were deeply impactful to them.
“We’re out here to thrive, and we’re being asked to put ourselves in a situation where we’re only thinking about our survival right now,” Bordeaux said. “But tonight, it shows that there’s so much more and no matter what we’re facing, we’re not just looking for survival.”
Griffin Mancuso is a journalism major and one of the managing editors of The Lumberjack. He has written stories for every category in the paper, but particularly enjoys writing human-centric stories. He has also freelanced for the North Coast Journal and News Decoder.
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