Coffee and treats were laid out in the Bergami Center of Science, Technology and Innovation. Diversity Peer Educators (DPE’s) from the Myatt Center of Diversity and Inclusion along with members of the Women of Color Collective were there to greet students either coming to watch or perform at the Women’s History Month Open Mic Night.
The first act of the night included a moving poem written and spoken by Kiana White, a junior business management major. The poem was about White’s life experiences as a woman of color. The first line was “To be a woman of color means to look at yourself in the reflection. What do I see?” White’s response to her question was that she saw a young Black girl who was “fearless in speech but afraid to state her beliefs.”
White transitioned to a discussion on the experiences of women of color, which includes seeing at least two people who look like you in the classroom who are working twice as hard as their white counterparts while not receiving the same credit. Members of the audience were nodding their heads in agreement to these statements.
Following White’s poem was a musical performance by Will Hinck, a senior music and sound recording major. Hinck gave a phenomenal performance on acoustic guitar while singing greatest hits from famous women in music. The songs included “Toxic” by Britney Spears, “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor and “You’ve Got a Friend” by Carole King. Cheers went out once Hinck finished his performance.
Another musical act came from the band Sock Drawer, which consisted of lead singer Alyssa Gonzalez, a first-year health sciences major, bassist Ben Keane, a first-year music and sound recording major and lead guitarist Ben Carter, a first-year music and sound recording major. One of the songs performed was “Pissed,” which is about the male gaze and people only looking at women for their bodies. Gonzalez’s vocals were powerful, practically demanding that everyone stop and pay attention. Loud shouts and clapping were more than enough proof that Sock Drawer knocked it out of the park.
After the performances concluded, a karaoke machine was brought out for audience members to use and test out their vocals. Songs were performed, such as “Malibu” by Miley Cyrus, “Dancing Queen” by Abba and “Leave the Door Open” by Bruno Mars, Anderson P.aak and Silk Sonic.