Poets from the San Diego community came together for an inspiring virtual evening hosted by Counselor Judy Sundayo and professor Paula Johnson where they shared their favorite poems by Black female authors and their original work on March 13.
In honor of Women’s History Month a moving tribute took place for the third time ever where each woman took turns delivering their pieces, where each reflected on the contributions of black women in arts and literature. The theme of this tribute was the audacity of resistance and resilience.
Johnson introduced the meeting with a quote, “No Black woman writer in this culture can write ‘too much’ Indeed, no woman writer can write ‘too much’… No woman has ever written enough.” famously said by American author Bell Hooks.
The first speaker of the night was Nicole Harder Chung, a former Mesa student who touched on her experiences of becoming a black activist due to the community at Mesa College and how it directed her to her path as a college counselor. The first poem she recites is an original piece called “Often Times” where she declared it as a “love letter to herself.” This piece reflects on the struggles of being a black woman in the workforce and how they are underappreciated.
Another heartfelt performance by student speaker Jay Boyer reflected on suicide awareness where she recited a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks called, “To the Young Who Want To Die.” Boyer stuck with the theme of resilience with two original works touching on healing from the passing of her daughter. With these pieces she wants to spread awareness about young women who may be struggling in their personal lives and find a new path to get in touch with their souls.
The lineup of poets had different approaches to bringing light to women struggles in society. Their rhythmic spoken word explored the struggling concepts of racism, lack of representation, and violence that women face in society still to this day.
The final speaker of the night was Alyce Smith Cooper. She was introduced in an admirable way as the “golden-brown fairy godmother” who is well known for her poems that focus on racial and social injustice. Alyce greeted the audience and expressed her appreciation in which she states “I’m excited to be in the presence of students, people that are growing in the magnitude of their creativity.”
Cooper’s piece reflected on a speech written by Mary Mcleod Bethune, an American philanthropist which was written almost 100 years ago.
“These women that wrote in this era, they were educators and they were writers of pros and their pros rang like poetry to me,” Cooper said, referring to how much the Black women embody strength and growth in education.
As the meeting came to a close each speaker expressed their gratitude to the host and the fellow poets as well. Sundayo returned the favor by individually thanking each participant and her co-hosts for this enlightening tribute.
From the beginning of this meeting each host made sure to uplift each speaker with their introductions. While touching on the real world controversies each speaker and host emphasized the importance of unity not just for the black community but women in general.
With a total of six participants this night ultimately highlighted the unique voice of talented artists in the black community and formed a sense of community for its poets and attendees.
