A man sang along to Stevie Wonder as the singer’s voice echoed across the speaker system in Watson Theater.

The song, ‘Living for the City,’ tells a story of a black man who goes to the city, only to be arrested after witnessing a drug deal.

‘This song was written during the civil rights movement,’ said Christiona Hawkins, a junior policy studies major. ‘But I don’t think that movement ever ended. I don’t know when human rights got labeled civil rights.’

Through poetry, music and discussion, the event held Tuesday night paid tribute to Trayvon Martin and the social issues surrounding his death. It was organized by the Nu Rho Poetic Society.

Michelle Tarshus, a junior information management and technology major, said the Nu Rho Poetic Society’s purpose is to bring students together to gain more knowledge about poetry and use it to raise awareness about social change.

Hawkins and Tarshus co-hosted the event and began by asking the audience members what they knew about the death of Trayvon Martin.

Audience response varied. Some felt everyone knew the circumstances of Trayvon’s death based on its vast media coverage. Others disagreed and expressed concern regarding the lack of student knowledge about the subject. There was open discussion about the facts of the case, public response and how race plays a part in the criminal justice system.

‘It’s the system,’ said Cory Boone, the residence director of Watson Hall. ‘What happened to Trayvon Martin, where I come from, that happened to 15 different people. We need to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone.’

Clips from the news were played, including President Barack Obama’s speech addressing the issue and a clip that showed Geraldo Rivera of Fox News expressing his controversial position that Trayvon Martin would be alive if he had not worn a hoodie.

‘Trayvon Martin is a victim,’ Boone said. ‘You don’t murder someone, period.’

The first to perform a poem at the event was Ousman Diallo, a senior information management and technology major. The poem, titled ‘Letter to Trayvon,’ addressed Trayvon as a hypothetical friend and expressed guilt of being in a university while he was on the street. It addressed the pain of losing a friend who could have easily been him.

Flose Boursiquot, a sophomore public relations major, spoke of the power of words in her poem. She alluded to Martin Luther King Jr. and the power behind his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.

‘Why are we resting, our brothers and sisters? Racism doesn’t wait,’ Boursiquot said.

Howard ‘Klass’ Jones Jr., a Syracuse native, performed a poem about what people expect from him because he is a black man and about what they see before knowing anything about him.

‘I reach for my wallet, you see a gun,’ he said.

Between poems, audience members discussed their themes and what social problems stemmed from them. Topics included issues in inner-city schools, the motives of politicians, the role of the media, what justice means in America and how it can best be served.

‘Poetry is a form of activism,’ Hawkins said. ‘Don’t write because you want to, write because you have to.’

seschust@syr.edu 

Published on April 3, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Sarah: seschust@syr.edu