The die-cut poster on display in the Reilly Center
David Scibilia / The Bona Venture
BY: DAVID SCIBILIA, NEWS EDITOR
“The heart is speaking; the spirit is speaking,” Jason Benefield, the producer of “Speak on Sistas”, said. “[‘Speak On Sistas’] is the ultimate event for women of African descent.”
“Speak On Sistas” is an event performed in the Harlem Renaissance style of spoken word poetry, music and imagery coming to St. Bonaventure University on March 14 in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“[“Speak On Sistas”] is a creative and expressive way to present other people’s voices, experiences and stories,” Heather Harris, an assistant professor at the Jandoli School of Communications and a member of the Jandoli School’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee said. “It presents different perspectives in a unique way that makes them quite memorable and impactful.”
Eisha Mason, a performer at the event, believes that inspiring others to share their story is an important part of “Speak on Sistas.”
“Being part of an event like this gives me an opportunity to excite, impact or inspire someone else to share what they’ve been keeping in secret,” Mason said. “I want to challenge the belief that you have to be somebody really special to have something to say; everybody has something important to share.”
Similar to Mason, Larniece Whitehead, also a performer, notes the importance of sharing her experiences.
“It’s very important to be able to open up and share the things that you’ve been through,” Whitehead said. “Like a seed, it doesn’t look as great until it grows and produces what it’s been designed to produce.”
Going by the slogan “Words of the Divine Sisterhood,” “Speak on Sistas” centers around the theme of listening and understanding.
“I hope whoever gets the chance to hear [the event] would feel light from my story,” Whitehead said. “What someone has been through can make such a deep impact on you that it can change the trajectory of your life.”
Stella the Poet, a performer for “Speak on Sistas” values the opportunity and platform to share her work.
“‘Speak on Sistas’ is an opportunity to share from the heart and the heart is where we all live from; heart is humanity,” Stella the Poet said. “It’s an opportunity to share my humanity with those who have heart.”
Johnette Warren-Askew, a performer, comments on the importance of an opportunity like “Speak on Sistas.”
“Hearing different points of view helps us grow as people and better understand the world around us,” Warren-Askew said. “To be able to contribute to that process is invaluable.”
Following the artistic nature of the event, a large die-cut poster representing the Sistas with a microphone stand will be moving throughout campus to promote the event.
“It’s a neat way to interrupt the flow of students on their path,” Harris said. “[As they’re] going to classes and whatnot, this will catch their eye, remind them about the event and give them the information about it.”
This cut-out can be seen on March 10 outside the Hickey Dining Hall, March 12 in the Plassmann foyer, March 13 in the Murphy foyer, and March 14 in Quick Center foyer.
This event was placed on March 14 to precede the Mary A. Hamilton Woman of Promise Award ceremony, an honor given to a female senior in the Jandoli School; Grace Foley is the 2023 recipient.
“We will have a lot of people on campus for our Woman of Promise Award,” Harris said. “We thought that this made for a really nice day for anybody coming to campus that wasn’t going to already be there.”
Although the event will run during a time when classes are scheduled, Harris said she hopes professors will bring their whole class to “Speak on Sistas.”
“We’re hoping that some classes will choose to attend and that some faculty will choose to bring their whole class because it is a great and educational experience,” Harris said. “We’re also live streaming the event and will post the video afterward.”
Harris hopes students listen to the performances and understand what is being said.
“If you listen, that will open up the pathway for you to build empathy,” Harris said. “Once you have empathy for somebody, you’ve built that bridge to them.”
Benefield encourages students to come to the event with an open mind.
“When individuals take time to allow their full, authentic selves in on what is being said, then they’re open to hearing the ideas,” Benefield said. “All we’re doing is opening ourselves more and more to be that peace, to be that joy and to be that perfection that we already are.”
scibild22@bonaventure.edu
