On October 25, 2017, Alma Mater Productions and the Black Student Organization brought poet, activist, and educator Dominique Christina to campus for an event that can only be described as a form of healing through the channel of words. Dominique Christina, in a manner of pragmatism, opened conversation by addressing possible triggers throughout the night’s journey and encouraging listeners not to “confuse being triggered with being offended”, stating that in the event of offense there may lie near a possibility to learn and grow. This was simply the beginning of a night of noteworthy statements. The artist embarked upon a journey of vulnerability, speaking candidly of her lived experiences: being woman, being black, and being consciously aware of the two, and provided encouragement for all in attendance to follow suit.
Each poem was painted in color and surrounded issues like sexuality, sexual assault, mental health, reclamation, and strength, those that are often written off as the “crazy” in the black community… the difficult conversations to have. To the point of her womanhood, Ms. Christina highlighted the important notion that “every woman ‘womans’ differently”. In a warm poem in which she sang the praises of her mother, Christina affirmed the importance of one’s individual journey and unadulterated form of performing their gender. This continued in the artist’s soapbox exclamations decrying the stigma of menstruation and a very heartfelt recollection of the feat of a first love, the act of reclaiming one’s body from victimhood and renaming the rubble of the past. To the point of blackness, Christina spoke of the importance of finding community in spaces of underrepresentation, combatting the effects of otherness with fellowship and love. Furthermore, she spoke to the continuing fire that black people must retain in their bellies; she encouraged the act of looking to one’s ancestors to find a guiding light in the energies of ancestral defiance. As she put it, the trials of displacement and slavery brought forth along the Middle Passage were impossible to survive; the very idea that we, as black people, are here means that we are descendants of men and women who did the impossible and in the essence of their spirits we have no other choice than success. The overall event was one for the books. It was the embodiment of the many conversations of representation and intersectionality that are constantly held within the community. If you missed this, you missed a great event. Check out some of her powerful work on Youtube, and prepare to be amazed. Mya White
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