BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OPEN MIKE EVENT GIVES ALL A PLACE TO SPEAK
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Alameda Journal
January 24, 2006
By KARA ANDRADE
On Friday night at the Esperanza Community Center, Nina Nero, 22, a mother of two children who has been accepted to UC Davis, steps up to the microphone, unfazed by the 40 people in front of her.
She's confident, even though she hasn't been to one of these Boys and Girls Club open mike events. She doesn't know what to expect from the diverse group ranging in age from 3 to 60 -- some wearing hoodies, baggy pants, others with silver Raiders boots or Muslim hijabs.
The event is called "Living King's Dream," and it's the third open mike coordinated by Alamedan Reggie James.
Nero, who's in her last semester at College of Alameda, shares a poem about when she turned 22. The poem is called, "If Only I Had Listened to Mama."
"Mama used to say a hard head is a soft behind, but what did Mama know she wasn't from my era or time?" Nero read. "Tonight I'm here to tell you my mama sure was right. If I had given her a little more credit, I would have saved so much energy/I would have strived for my full potential instead of settling for less ... At 21, I should be out trying to see the world instead of working as a cashier wondering if I'm having a boy or a girl/I should be in line for books instead of a county check/I should be the doctor saying, 'OK, nurse, who's next?"
For the next three minutes of her poem, the room -- which had been buzzing with the ringing of cell phones, people changing seats or chatting while families continue to arrive -- falls silent.
When she finishes reading there is a loud applause and then Jamari Caldwell steps up to rap about the media's depiction of young people; another rapper who goes by LRC talks of the death of his mom on Dec. 1; Mary Rudge, poet laureate of Alameda, reads her poems, and the activities go on well into the evening.
Between performers, children from Woodstock and other elementary schools read passages from Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
James is the emcee and deftly orchestrates the event, taking calls during performances, welcoming people, lovingly nudging the younger participants to participate and, above all, using humor. He makes jokes about people coming from Los Angeles on the Greyhound bus or all the way from Richmond for the event. It's hard to tell if he's kidding as the room becomes more crowded and people stand in the back. He continues to offer up the microphone to whoever wants to share.
"People need a place to express themselves. (Open mikes) give them this opportunity and they can hear what other people have to say and get different ideas from each other," said James, who wears an oversized black shirt that says "Danger, educated Black man" and has a hug for everyone that he sees.
For Nero, the success of these events shows how necessary they are.
"I think a lot of times the young generation gets criticized for speaking what's on their mind," she said. "It's nice to be in an environment where you can say whatever's on your mind without other people getting offended."
The open mikes have become increasingly popular, especially among high school students, since the first one was held in July. Many of the young people performing are also in James' creative writing class, where he teaches them how to write poetry and other genres. .
"Kids don't know that they don't just have to write in school or about school. In class we start with a little poetry and then get them writing about different things like current events or their feelings," said James, who hopes to have monthly open mikes.
"I just want to get them writing. They have these avenues like Youth Outlook, YouthSpeaks, and a lot of them aren't taking advantage of those opportunities. I wish I had had known about these opportunities when I was younger."
Musa Balde, director of the nonprofit Timbuktu Educational Foundation, who sat with his wife and children, said open mikes are an important opportunity for young people to be part of a larger community.
"There's a great need for this (event) because it provides them with knowledge and gives them confidence by expressing themselves freely. It helps them become better people in life and in their communities," Balde said.
Encinal High School student Jaime Moreno, 16, manages the sound for the event and even though he doesn't perform he enjoys being a part of it.
"I like that the raps get you thinking, and thinking's always positive," Moreno said. "I also like how people take the rappers seriously and give them respect."
Moreno, who has his own band called Internal Records, hopes to begin a career in music recording when he graduates.
Before the event began, Woodstock Elementary students Flenoid McCleary, 10, and Danielle Garrett, 11, argued about which passages they were going to read from the Martin Luther King Jr. speech. They were both nervous about reading, but there was no doubt about why they were there.
"I'm doing this because I really admire Martin Luther King Jr. and I think he was really strong and made people come together. I think he would be very happy with what happens here," Garrett said.
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Alameda Journal
January 24, 2006
By KARA ANDRADE
On Friday night at the Esperanza Community Center, Nina Nero, 22, a mother of two children who has been accepted to UC Davis, steps up to the microphone, unfazed by the 40 people in front of her.
She's confident, even though she hasn't been to one of these Boys and Girls Club open mike events. She doesn't know what to expect from the diverse group ranging in age from 3 to 60 -- some wearing hoodies, baggy pants, others with silver Raiders boots or Muslim hijabs.
The event is called "Living King's Dream," and it's the third open mike coordinated by Alamedan Reggie James.
Nero, who's in her last semester at College of Alameda, shares a poem about when she turned 22. The poem is called, "If Only I Had Listened to Mama."
"Mama used to say a hard head is a soft behind, but what did Mama know she wasn't from my era or time?" Nero read. "Tonight I'm here to tell you my mama sure was right. If I had given her a little more credit, I would have saved so much energy/I would have strived for my full potential instead of settling for less ... At 21, I should be out trying to see the world instead of working as a cashier wondering if I'm having a boy or a girl/I should be in line for books instead of a county check/I should be the doctor saying, 'OK, nurse, who's next?"
For the next three minutes of her poem, the room -- which had been buzzing with the ringing of cell phones, people changing seats or chatting while families continue to arrive -- falls silent.
When she finishes reading there is a loud applause and then Jamari Caldwell steps up to rap about the media's depiction of young people; another rapper who goes by LRC talks of the death of his mom on Dec. 1; Mary Rudge, poet laureate of Alameda, reads her poems, and the activities go on well into the evening.
Between performers, children from Woodstock and other elementary schools read passages from Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
James is the emcee and deftly orchestrates the event, taking calls during performances, welcoming people, lovingly nudging the younger participants to participate and, above all, using humor. He makes jokes about people coming from Los Angeles on the Greyhound bus or all the way from Richmond for the event. It's hard to tell if he's kidding as the room becomes more crowded and people stand in the back. He continues to offer up the microphone to whoever wants to share.
"People need a place to express themselves. (Open mikes) give them this opportunity and they can hear what other people have to say and get different ideas from each other," said James, who wears an oversized black shirt that says "Danger, educated Black man" and has a hug for everyone that he sees.
For Nero, the success of these events shows how necessary they are.
"I think a lot of times the young generation gets criticized for speaking what's on their mind," she said. "It's nice to be in an environment where you can say whatever's on your mind without other people getting offended."
The open mikes have become increasingly popular, especially among high school students, since the first one was held in July. Many of the young people performing are also in James' creative writing class, where he teaches them how to write poetry and other genres. .
"Kids don't know that they don't just have to write in school or about school. In class we start with a little poetry and then get them writing about different things like current events or their feelings," said James, who hopes to have monthly open mikes.
"I just want to get them writing. They have these avenues like Youth Outlook, YouthSpeaks, and a lot of them aren't taking advantage of those opportunities. I wish I had had known about these opportunities when I was younger."
Musa Balde, director of the nonprofit Timbuktu Educational Foundation, who sat with his wife and children, said open mikes are an important opportunity for young people to be part of a larger community.
"There's a great need for this (event) because it provides them with knowledge and gives them confidence by expressing themselves freely. It helps them become better people in life and in their communities," Balde said.
Encinal High School student Jaime Moreno, 16, manages the sound for the event and even though he doesn't perform he enjoys being a part of it.
"I like that the raps get you thinking, and thinking's always positive," Moreno said. "I also like how people take the rappers seriously and give them respect."
Moreno, who has his own band called Internal Records, hopes to begin a career in music recording when he graduates.
Before the event began, Woodstock Elementary students Flenoid McCleary, 10, and Danielle Garrett, 11, argued about which passages they were going to read from the Martin Luther King Jr. speech. They were both nervous about reading, but there was no doubt about why they were there.
"I'm doing this because I really admire Martin Luther King Jr. and I think he was really strong and made people come together. I think he would be very happy with what happens here," Garrett said.
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