And the riot be the rhyme of the unheard.
Calm Like A Bomb, Rage Against The Machine, 1999
When you’re sitting in a sound-proof booth, the last thing you expect to hear is music bumping through the walls. But I guess when the event next door is called Say It Loud, it makes sense.
Last night, Thursday, April 17, while in the midst of another marathon editing session for my senior film at the University of Miami, S.T.A.N.D. (Students Towards a New Democracy) members were raising voices and raising dollars for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. S.T.A.N.D., an organization that strives to create a culture of activism in the University of Miami community, was having a benefit concert called Say It Loud. The concert was meant to raise donations as well as create awareness about the low wages farmworkers are paid in South Florida and their fight with Burger King*. Since it’s not too common to hear bass rumbling the walls in my editing booth, I figured it must be one hell of a concert. I went out to the School of Communication’s Common Ground Courtyard to check it out.
I entered the courtyard from a side entrance, which I was apparently not supposed to do. I was greeted by Alyssa Cundari, a S.T.A.N.D. member. She asked me if I had paid to get in. Usually my charm and an MTV t-shirt get me no-questions-asked access, but Alyssa strongly encouraged me to make a donation.
At the front of the courtyard, students were collecting $4 donations. I made mine and got a hand stamp in exchange. I asked why music was the chosen medium of expression for this event. “I feel like art is the barometer of the state of society,” Claudio Perez, a S.T.A.N.D. member, told me. “People understand art in a more direct way than just cold, hard facts. Art is uplifting, invigorating. It allows people to wake up and feel empowered.” When I asked at the end of the night how much money was raised, S.T.A.N.D. member Stephanie Sandhu estimated $500. Not bad for a night’s work.
Tariq Shabazz, a spoken word artist, flew in all the way from New York to speak at the event. Straight out of the office, dressed in a full suit, he expressed his enthusiasm for being there. “It’s always good to be among conscious minds. What we need to change the world are conscious minds. And conscience doesn’t necessarily come from skin tone. It comes from within.” To get away from the noise for an interview, we went back to my sound proof booth. “I think spoken word is an excellent form of art where you can communicate what your feelings are. For a younger generation, that’s into rap or jazz or whatever the case may be, you can find spoken word in all of that music.”
And in spoken word you can find a lot of meaning. His spoken word encompassed a world of issues as he remembered the tragedies at Virginia Tech, The World Trade Center, and Hurricane Katrina. Possibly the most surprising part was when he whipped out a 153-year-old letter from a Native American chief and read it spoken word style. Entitled How Can You Buy or Sell the Earth?, the almost prophetic words called to question current issues with the environment. “The chief is basically saying that we agree to go on this reservation, but we are entrusting that you will do right by this land. It means protect the earth. Protect the creatures that live on the earth, and show humanity to those who live on top of the earth as well.”
By the time I had returned from my interview with Tariq, local hip-hop artist LaGuardia Cross Jr. was lighting up the stage. Sounding vaguely like Saul Williams, LaGuardia moved the crowd while moving their hearts and minds with socially and politically charged lyrics. “Brother, choose your side, truth for a lie, truth for a lie” echoed through the courtyard as he performed Choose Your Side, the first track off his EP, The Take Off. I caught up with him after his performance, again in the quiet comfort of my editing station. “I want to be a part of anything that has to do with pushing the concept of love, or pushing the concept of freedom for people who are being paid slave wages.” When asked if he usually uses his music for social causes, LaGuardia told me, “That’s probably the main motivation to do the music that I do. I have a song called black America about all the history I’ve learned about my people and everything that has brought us to the present day in America, from slavery to freedom, and even the fight for continued freedom to get the full rights that we deserve.”
The night would see appearances from more bands, including the Down Home Southernaires and CCM, aka Chanda Mbao, a UM student from Zambia. Also present was a much more “silent” voice. The Black Mangrove Collective focuses on cultivating activism, creativity, and cooperation in Miami. They have started up a small bookstore and coffee shop that they hope will unite people in enjoying these causes. Patrick Walsh, a Collective Member, sat down with me. “We try to help people get out of the office mentality, so people can come together and talk about issues on a personal level.” I had seen him selling books earlier in the night, so I asked if the proceeds were going to the CIW. He shook his head. “At this stage, we have a whole bunch of AV equipment, speakers, lighting, and we usually lend that out to different events to help make them a success.” “So you donated the stage and the microphones and speakers?” I asked. “Yeah.” Without Black Mangrove, I discovered, there was no show to cover.
At midnight, with my deadline looming in only a few hours, I sat down with Jacob Coker-Dukowitz, a S.T.A.N.D. member. He told me why he enjoys bringing people together. “People don’t know how to act in a group. Everywhere you go, there’s a top down structure. You live in a home, and there’s a father figure, someone who is the boss of the house. You go to work, you have boss who tells you what to do. When you bring people together, they often don’t know how to collaborate or what to do.” I think he accomplished his mission, as we sat talking until almost 1am about the state of the world, Jeff Sachs, religion, and the war in Iraq. It’s inspiring when people set a goal and meet it.
Oh, and by the way - I missed that deadline. But to tell this story, I’d say it was worth my four bucks.
*Burger King has rebutted some of CIW’s arguments. See the story here.