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The Indiana Daily Student

arts

High school students commemorate Black History Month with read-in

entread-in

Kim Smith walked onto the stage.

She recalled aloud the first time she listened to a recording of herself speaking before an audience about her experience as a black person in the United States. In the recording, her voice shook and pitched.

“I used to hate the way my voice sounds,” said Smith, a senior at Bloomington High School North. “But then I realized my voice pitched because I was angry and my voice shook because I was upset.”

When Smith spoke at the African-American High School Read-In at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center yesterday, her voice still shook.

“You will not kick me out of my own country, you will not take away my land, and you will not tell my own brothers and sisters they do not deserve water to live,” Smith said in reference to President Trump.

A chorus of “mhms,” “yeahs” and “come ons” came from the audience.

Smith is one of the high school students from Bloomington High School North, Bloomington High School South and the Bloomington Graduation School who commemorated the beginning of Black History Month on Monday with the 15th annual African-American Read-In of literature and original writing at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.

Students shared poems or passages from black authors such as Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou. Others, like Smith, shared original works about their experience as black people in America.

Stephanie Power-Carter, 
associate professor of literacy, culture and language education at IU, said the read-in presents a way to educate and for students to express themselves freely in their own space.

The read-in was an all-day event for the student attendees, who arrived at 11 a.m. for the read-in, had lunch at the Neal-Marshall Center Black Culture Center and attended a pre-college session with the IU Office of Admissions.

Also, every student attendee and school library received a book written by an African-American author, Power-Carter said. This year the books given out included “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” “Reach: 40 Black Men Speak on Living, Leading, and Succeeding,” “Hidden Figures,” “Courage to Soar” and “Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin,” which Martin’s parents wrote as a reflection on the five-year anniversary of his death.

Power-Carter said the read-ins impress her every year because they remind her of how much talent the community has.

The read-in proves the common perception of young people is incorrect, said Elizabeth Sweeney, an English and English as a second language teacher at Bloomington High School North.

“They’re astoundingly articulate and powerful,” Sweeney said of the students, such as Ollie McDermott, Isa Baile-Voyles and Tamara Brown, who opened the read-in by singing the 
“Negro National Anthem” by James Weldon Johnson.

Other speakers sang as part of their personal work, and Power-Carter sang “America the Beautiful” to close out the literature 
portion of the event.

“This event honor our history,” Power-Carter said. “African-American history is American history.”

Smith spoke of the grandparents and parents of audience members, who all fought for civil rights.

With today’s political climate, the current generation is a part of this fight too, she said.

“This is the time to stand up, even with tears in your eyes,” Smith said. “This is the time to stand up and say, ‘I will not be silent anymore.’ Don’t let anyone silence your voice, no matter how loud you have to shout.”

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