Spoken Word Performance

Gallery • 5 Photos

Photos by CYL

With Black History Month coming to an end, on Mar 3, 2023 CYL helped host a Spoken Word Performance in Brien McMahon’s library.

In this event, many people around school gathered in the library during the fourth period to watch this performance. CYL was expecting about 40 people to come but more than 100 students and teachers showed up. 

Dr. Oliver and the English Department at McMahon helped gather students and teachers to watch this performance.

Originally, CYL wanted to do the Spoken Word Performance on February 24, however, that was the same day that the Poetry Slam was going to be held. 

They were in a short time frame when it came to preparing this because the Poetry Slam ended up getting canceled last minute.

CYL gathered as many chairs as they could and created a mini stage for students to perform on. Even with all the chairs they had, there was still no room and students had to resort to sitting on the tables. 

For those who didn’t witness this Spoken Word Performance, you must be asking yourself what it is.

This was a performance lead by Emily Lupinacci. She is a member of the CYL’s Executive Committee, who helped host this event and she’s currently a senior in IB. 

She helped gather people to read pieces like essays, poems, and songs that helped honor the end of Black History Month. This performance consisted of 11 people with 11 pieces:

Museums – Emily  L

Skaters – Conny G

SuperBowl – Rasia Y 

Howard University Men’s Basketball Team and Black Maternal Health – Zylexi D

Maternal Health – Zoyla R

We Rise – Rosie S

Stand Up – Roshni Y 

Witness Stones – Fiza D

Comics – Lucas C

Mourn in Public – Abeera D

Idea of America – Alecia C

Lift Every Voice and Sing – Nyelle G

“We wanted to choose pieces that weren’t necessarily like talking about what they’ve done wrong more so of their accomplishments. How they’ve taken, what they’re done, and what happened to them and turn into something like,” said Emily.

“We wanted to use different pieces to show the different outlets and ways that black people have expressed themselves and accomplished things.” 

An example of this is the piece that Lucas read, Comics. His piece talks about how someone used comics as a form to express their personal opinion.

But why did CYL decide to host this event? “CYL wanted to honor Black History month especially because a lot of the time we focus on the stuff with racial disparity and such. We wanted to honor people who have struggled in the Black community,” said Emily.

With the pieces that the students read it helped bring awareness/light to what has been happening in the black community lately but also their accomplishments. For example they talk about Rihanna with the half-time show, Amanda Gorman, Tyre Nichols who was a skateboarder that died from police violence, and more. 

“All of them really show the different perspectives that all these different black people have had over the time that impacted their lives. So all of them might talk about achievements like the person that was singing Rihanna’s performance or the piece I read, a black mother taking their black son to a museum to learn about their history. I think all of them kind of show how these people are grateful for their heritage and history and take in pride.”

With less than a week to prepare for this performance, CYL managed to have a successful show. Not only was it successful but it helped the students of Brien McMahon end Black History Month on a good note.