In celebration of Black History Month, Bakersfield College’s Martin Luther King Jr. Center welcomed the public to attend a recital of African-American poetry. It was an intimate night as a small crowd gathered at Barnes & Noble Booksellers to view artwork and recite their favorites.
Among the best was a stirring rendition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech by featured artist Samuel Pierro. Pierro’s cheeks quivered with conviction in a performance that moved the audience.
Zucchinni Hubbard, 26, one of the attendees, started the evening with a selection from Maya Angelou, titled “Phenomenal Woman.” One of Angelou’s more famous pieces, it reveals how the author feels about herself, her body and her innermost being.
June Charles, the program assistant at BC’s Martin Luther King Jr. Center, said, “This gives people a chance to express what they’re feeling about issues in the world through the poetry they write.”
Although reluctant at first, Charles recited Angelou’s “Thank You Lord.”
Melissa Turner, the only one to recite original pieces, gave a dramatic performance every time she stepped up to the mic. Her poem “The Source” alluded to the genesis of life. In her words, “Creator of the universe / the reason of birth / mother sister daughter, wife brings life.”
Turner said the event was important.
“It’s for a universal crowd to gather to remember the struggles people have faced,” she said.
Hubbard read another Angelou selection, the inspirational poem “Still I Rise,” which drew applause from all around. The poem describes the perseverance of African-Americans despite the centuries of hardships they have had to endure.
” I teach my children the importance of their heritage,” Hubbard said about the significance of that poem.
Charles recited “Just Like Job,” also by Angelou, a poem about the lifetime hardships of one man who, through his faith, is finally redeemed. Charles likened the story of Job to the adversity faced by blacks throughout American history, and “their only way to survive was to depend on the Lord.”
Before Pierro recited King’s speech, Charles reminded the audience that “we’re doing this because of the dream, the dream that we all have.” She echoed the words of King and his dream that “each and everyone of us will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”