A promotional poster for the event
Photo courtesy of St. Bonaventure University
BY: DAVID SCIBILIA, NEWS ASSIGMENT EDITOR
Join St. Bonaventure University and the Jandoli School of Communication in partnership with the St. Bonaventure Black student union for “Hear the Brothas”. Taking place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Nov. 8 in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, this event promises an afternoon full of spoken word, rap, song and more.
“We wanted to have a program that could be expressive and Afro-centric. At Bonaventure, we don’t get things of this nature too often,” Akim Hudson, a senior psychology major and president of St. Bonaventure’s Black Student Union, said.
In the style of the Harlem Renaissance, “Hear The Brothas” provides access to an event students may have never experienced before.
“It is a chance to hear other people’s perspectives on barriers and obstacles they face that we may not know about or realize,” Heather Harris, an Assistant Professor of journalism and strategic communication at the Jandoli School said, “It’s inspirational, motivational, and educational.”
Expressing oneself in non-traditional literary forms is one of the key draws to “Hear The Brothas.”
“It’s a great experience to hear and see different, unorthodox ways in which [literature] is expressed and structured,” Hudson said. “[It’s important to] go outside the confines of what you were taught.”
This event is a part of the Jandoli School’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
“Offering authentic and respectful perspectives, [this event] is just one way we can demonstrate in a very clear and overt manner that DEI is a cornerstone principle to our school, our faculty and our students,” Harris said.
Hudson, along with the Black Student Union, are working in partnership with the Jandoli School to promote and run the event.
“Although it wasn’t originally [the black student union’s] idea to hold the event, when I first saw the people who are going to be performing, it was just different,” Hudson said, “I wanted that same exact feeling for others.”
Beyond the Jandoli school, “Hear The Brothas” also fits in with the goals of the University.
The “Hear the Brothas” event aligns with and supports the Jandoli School and the University mission of recognizing the individual voices and worth of every person and that’s why we are so excited to be bringing it to our campus for our students,” Harris said.
Under the slogan, “Listen to Understand”, this event provides students with an opportunity to do just that.
“There are so many voices competing for our attention these days that we don’t take the time to listen and find the common ground that we all exist on,” Harris said, “We hope many will be inspired to look past our differences or labels and see that all people are the same and we all share in joy and hurt in the same way.”
Scibild22@bonaventure.edu
