Struggles and pain infused the hope and change"" sentiment last night when students gathered for a Black History Month event at the Red Gym.
Far from static lecturers, emcees Kwbena Antoine Nixon and Muhibb Dyer roamed through the surrounding audience with electricity that mixed personal anecdotes, crowd participation and spoken-word tales of real world suffering in the black community. The distinguished poets' message was clear.
""Be the rose that bursts through the concrete,"" Dyer said.
UW-Madison sophomore Kasandra Bellamy said juggling college life and obstacles at home could be difficult for black students at Madison.
""It does take a toll on you being in school and thinking about what's going on at home, all your friends dying and struggling and having kids '¦ there are just so many things you have to control and think about to be here,"" she said.
Mirroring President Barack Obama's recent campaign, the theme of this year's Black History Month is ""The Quest for Black Citizenship in America."" Nixon said Obama's election has united more students than ever.
""This group of young people was the main cog in getting Barack elected, and they did it on a grassroots level so there'll be a lot more '¦ people getting involved because they can put a stake on it and say, 'Yeah, we were a part of that,'"" Nixon said.
Dyer noted Obama's presidency is not a panacea for the black community or the country's racial divides.
""I think people have really calmed down and they've begun to understand that as a country, we still face a whole lot of challenges,"" Dyer said.
UW-Madison freshman Bryson Green echoed Dyer's sentiments afterwards, praising the event's ""unconventional"" approach, which focused on overcoming personal experiences.
""Everyone always talks about how '¦ we are the people who are going to solve the problems '¦ but it's also good to realize you have to solve the problems within yourself first before you try to accomplish the bigger problems out in the world,"" he said.
Freshman Joseline Nyinawabera cautioned that exaggerating the impact of Obama's success would be a mistake.
""[What] I'm scared about is that people will think that the problems are solved '¦ but in reality '¦ not enough has changed,"" Nyinawabera said.
The Black Student Union will host several more events for Black History Month including the first Black Man's Initiative Forum at Memorial Union Feb. 22.
