Feb. 25,2005
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■1923) by Georgia O'Keeffe
The undeniable power of the spoken word
Deidre Rhim
Staff Writer
IV mpowerment. Strength.
XJ Courage. Wisdom. Unity.
Rejuvenation. Coherence. Passion.
Compassion. Love. Hope. Power.
What common thread strings these
words together?
The Collective: a localized group of
seven socially-conscious African American
males and females who use their talent in
poetry, vocal performance and musician
ship to convey a message of collective
consciousness.
"Initially, The Collective was an open
mic event held weekly at a local club, but
soon it became obvious from the public
turn-out that we were providing a need
that had been neglected for some time,"
said Josephus Thompson, 111, founder and
member of the group. He went on to
explain that the group eventually formed
through the common bond of wanting to
address the needs of the public and satis
fying their individual desire to perform
their talents.
In January 2004, Thompson, along with
Crystal "Soultry" Washington, Christina
"Womenstorm" Ryals, Brandon "B-Star"
Thompson, lan "lan-tro" Knight, Shawn
"Goldman" Stilts, Demetrius "D-Noble"
Noble and Vania "Amahs" Howard
became known as The Collective.
The group displayed their talents to the
Guilford College community at 8 p.m. on
Feb. 19 in Dana auditorium. Coordinator
of Student Involvement and Leadership
Adrienne Craig organized the event.
Together, The Collective wowed and
amazed a very large and enthusiastic
crowd of Greensboro locals and Guilford
College students.
First-year Brianna Robinson was among
the few Guilford students that came out in
support of the event. She explained that
she first heard Thompson in her English
class with Anne Lundquist last semester.
"He was awesome then, and he and the
group were awesome tonight," Robinson
said. "Any chance I may get to see him
perform, I plan on doing so."
The performers seamlessly wove a
poetic pattern of unity through spoken
word, vocal performances and dramatic
skits that concentrated on loving one's
self, respecting one's self, having power
over one's actions, the marginalization of
black people by the use of the "N" word
and loving and respecting the black fami
ly-
Poems such as "Until," performed by
Amaris, spoke of putting oneself into the
shoes of a black person to better under
stand what struggles in life are faced on a
daily basis by those who wear the skin
FEATURES
permanently.
All of the performances were thought
provoking and soul-stirring, but one of the
stand-outs was when Womenstorm spoke
about embracing her blackness and being
at peace with who she is as a black
women. She paid tribute to the physical
attributes that separate black people,
mainly women, from other races and cul
tures.
Afros, voluptuous lips and round hips,
with rear ends to match,
have become an acceptable
focal point of what beauty is
in mainstream media, but
black women who possess
these attributes naturally
have been excluded in the
media's reporting of this
beauty type. Womenstorm
speaks to the black female
in an effort to assist them in
viewing their physical selves
and demands that they gain
control of the placement of
value and worth on them
selves.
The other stand-out per
formance, by D-Noble,
received a standing ovation.
The poem "Back" - the clos
er of the show - appealed to
black individuals who are
prepared to ask for the
return of what was stolen
from black people during
slavery and that which con
tinues to be pilfered today.
Noble's passion for his
work rang in every syllable
he spoke on Saturday night.
■ His
WWW.THECOLLECTIVE.WS
"The Collective" onstage
belief and enthusiasm about what he
speaks is undeniable and therefore conta
gious: "I enjoy what I do and I am glad
that people can feel that through my per
formances."
The Collective will host an open mic
event Feb. 25 in the Underground; they
also host open mic night at Club 9 the first
Sunday of every month. For additional
event information on The Collective, visit
their website, www.TheCollective.ws.3g
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Page 11
Greensboro. N.C.