Poetry shines through at open mic event honoring Black brilliance

The U2 Scholars hosted Mic Check: Black Brilliance Edition for Black History Month last Wednesday in the Johnson Student Center, presenting an impressive evening of spoken word, music and storytelling in celebration of Black brilliance throughout history.

Established in 2021, the U2 Scholars Program provides impactful educational resources and services to assist in fostering the personal, professional and academic success of Black/African American and Black/African Diasporic students of Santa Ana College.

Presentations began with Professor J. Michael O’Neal sharing several examples of Black music and culture throughout history. “Black music is always in protest,” he repeated during his brief lecture. “Healthy competition and expression is always important in keeping Black music alive.”

Mic Night offered an opportunity for students to make their voices heard. Photo by Christian Michael / el Don

Poet and Santa Ana College Literature Professor Donato Martinez, winner of a Distinguished Faculty Award from SAC last year, shared his own poems. Martinez gave comments on the relationship between Chicanos and Black Americans during his performance.

“Celebrate who you are, celebrate where you come from, and use that as a way to pursue your goals and guide you on a path of excellence. Not forgetting where you come from so you can come back to teach others, help your community, and be in service to others,” Martinez stated.

A buffet-style boxed lunch of chicken and waffles with drinks and salad was offered to guests at intermission. The attendees mingled in the room decorated with artistic portraits of Black figures before turning their attention back to the next performance.

“She starts off so soft spoken, it’s like she’s getting into character before showing her alter ego,” attendee Kimberly Castruita said of poet, Peacock Secrets, who gave a passionate and raw reading of her original work. A standout crowd favorite, Peacock Secrets shared a poetry book featuring over 200 pages of poems by Muslim women and other writers.

Nick Mierez, U2 Scholar and co-organizer of the event, was assisted by the U2 Scholars Team and by co-host and Chicago native Devon, who sampled his home-based poetry with the crowd. Mierez reflected: “We had a lot of organizational meetings starting back in November and December, so we were meeting a lot to bring everyone together. It feels good, I’m happy there’s a good turnout.”