Jamnesty Mixes Art and Activism

On Saturday, Sept. 22 a multi-arts collaborative event co-hosted by Verbal Onslaught and Amnesty International drew a crowd to the McCullough Student Center to examine the theme of racial injustice in America. Jamnesty, an event that combined spoken word poetry, music, dance and audio-visual content, continued the accelerating trend of students combining art and activism on the college campus.

Jamnesty featured 13 student performances and an open mic session, and was open to all types of artistic expression. Organizers explained that they sought to commemorate the one-year execution date of Troy Davis, to examine the case of Reggie Clemonts and to discuss the broader theme of racial injustice.

Rana Abdelhamid ’15, the student activist coordinator for the Vermont branch of Amnesty International and the founder and president of the Middlebury Amnesty International chapter, explained her motivations for helping to organize the event.

“Troy Davis’s sister wants people to commemorate his death by spreading his story. With an art event, you’re drawing in some people that you wouldn’t normally see, and then you’re telling them: ‘here are the facts, here is what’s happening. Here is a race issue in the US that maybe you haven’t seen before, and now you’re seeing it.’”

Abdelhamid explained that as a grassroots movement, Amnesty International has been encouraged to move in a more artistic direction by its supporters. Over the past decade, activists have increasingly sought to use audio-visual tools, music and personal narratives as a means by which to express their opinions.

“People are doing flash mobs, they’re making Youtube videos,” she said. “I think that creative activism is at its peak at this point.”

According to Jennifer Herrera, special assistant to the dean of the College and the senior advisor for diversity initiatives, a similar movement is underway on the college campus.

“Are we seeing more students tap into the creative arts as a form of activism? … I don’t think we have a name for it right now, but I think that’s exactly what’s happening.

“As we listen to what students are writing in their poems right now — when they’re performing both through verbal onslaught or poor form poetry — there are some really strong themes in there. And it’s not just about race, sexuality and identity, but also about personal experiences.

“It’s beautiful that students are finding that voice, and feel comfortable enough to do it in such public settings,” she added. “I’m all about trying to develop that, and nurture it, and let it live in a safe space.”

Lara Shabb ’13, a student poet from Lebanon, performed “Security Checks,” a poem in which she spoke about racial profiling — a theme drawn from a personal experience at the Burlington International Airport. “Platinum member of the ‘randomly-selected-traveler’s-gild’/ I wonder what it would be like to become the metallic beeping of a metal rib cage machine, that seems to pick up on my heritage rather than my baggage,” she said in her performance.

Barbara Ofosu-Somuah ’13, the host of Verbal Onslaught, explained that the poetry-based group will seek to bring people together for one theme-based multi-arts collaborative event each month throughout the year. Ofosu-Somuah is in discussion with representatives from Feminist Action at Middlebury, the Middlebury Open Queer Alliance and Alianza to discuss opportunities for collaboration.

“With a lot of discussions on race and ethnicity, these things are all being spoken about in silos on this campus. It’s as if there is a narrative that says: ‘This is art, art stays here. This is activism, activism stays here. If you talk about race then you’re not talking about gender or sexuality because it’s all so separate.’ It shouldn’t be that way.”

Ofosu-Somuah added, “This year Verbal Onslaught is opening up to more than just poetry, with the conceptualization that art is fluid, and art can be anything. We’re hoping that people who are activists and looking for a space to share their thoughts will come … it’s not just Verbal Onslaught, it’s Verbal Onslaught with a mission.”

This mission was apparent on Saturday night, as videos were played that critically examined the cases of Troy Davis and Reggie Clemons.

Davis, an African American male, was executed in 1989 by the State of Georgia for the murder of a police officer. Though no murder weapon was ever found, Davis was sentenced to death due to the strength of the many testimonials pronounced against him. In the years following the trial, seven of nine key witnesses recanted their testimonies and cited police coercion during the investigation.

According to the organizers of Saturday’s event, a similar fate awaits Reggie Clemons in Missouri, where the young African American man sits on death row awaiting his execution date. Clemons is charged with the deaths of two white girls in a crime dating back to 1991 — a sentence that many believe was handed down based on an unjust prosecution.

Jamnesty organizers invited students to get involved in raising awareness about Clemons’ case, and by participating in future Verbal Onslaught events in the future. The next event will take place on Oct. 18 at 51 Main at 9 p.m. and will be co-hosted by Verbal Onslaught and the Dance Marathon. The theme will be childhood, and the organizers will begin to raise awareness about the dance marathon, which will take place in winter term, and serve as a fundraiser for the Vermont Children’s Miracle Network Hospital at Fletcher Allen in Burlington.