Poet advocates self-respect and equality

Author: Addason McCaslin

The month of February is perhaps the coldest time of the year, but it is warmed by a celebration of acceptance and equality. February has historically been a month of great advancements in the Civil Rights movements. The 15th amendment of the U. S. Constitution was passed on Feb. 3, 1870, extending the right to vote all males regardless of race, and in February of 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week to honor the American citizens who had previously been omitted from our history books. Now, Black History Month is celebrated as the offspring of the once nascent notion of equality embodied in Negro History Week.

Black History Month is alive and vibrant at Middlebury College, from the biographies of great African-Americans that dot dining hall tables, to the numerous events and gatherings that are held across campus. According to Twilight Artist-in-Residence François Clemmons, the month is "an opportunity for many of the students to learn the history of black Americans here in America and what we have contributed to the larger society." Clemmons, who is an active participant in the College's celebration of Black History Month, firmly believes that knowledge of black history is an essential component of a strong education and, therefore, deserves prominence at Middlebury College.

On Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2005, Middlebury hosted the renowned poet and artist Sandra María Esteves, a Puerto Rican-Dominican-Boriqueña-Quisqueyana-Taino-African-American advocate for equality and cultural cooperation. Esteves is a prominent figure in the Nuyorican (Nu-your-EEK-en) poetry movement which is in part derived from Puerto Rican, African, Caribbean, Spanish and American cultures. She read several of her poems for an assembly of Middlebury students and faculty, but her words held beauty and wisdom beyond that contained in her poetry.

She spoke of her origins as a silenced child, forced to repress her Puerto Rican heritage in the schools she attended, and her resulting journey to realize her passions for both literary and visual art forms. The silence imposed on her as a child caused her to express herself through her artwork. In time, she became an outspoken voice for equality of cultural groups and people of all kinds - men, women, old, young, black and white. She encouraged the students present to express themselves and to have their voices heard even when it may seem like nobody is listening.

Mrs. Esteves' words touched every member of the audience in some way. She emphasized the need to always be supportive of yourself and your inner worth, saying, "It's who you are on the inside. Deal with who you know yourself to be and honor that, and make that the best you can make that be." Esteves' presentation was not only a poetry reading and a political statement, but also a call to realize the value and potential intrinsic within us all.

"She made a lot of points I could relate to," said Carlos Beato '07. "I thought about how I am perceived as a person, my skin color and how I perceive myself."

The value of Black History Month and events such as Mrs. Esteves' presentation are indisputable. But Marichal Gentry, associate dean of student affairs, encouraged community members not to limit celebration of the many contributions made by African Americans to the month of February.