Yolanda Goodwin

Last week the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority hosted “Poetically Pink,” a poetry reading which took place in the Brevard community room to commemorate the start of Black History Month.

The themes of love, unity, empowerment and overcoming adversity swirled about the room as student after student rose to the podium, greeted by a sea of snapping fingers.

The Jam started out with a poem entitled Fires of Love, during which the Kappa girls reached to describe the indescribable: the overpowering feelings of love and happiness, as well as the pain and hurt endured from dwindling relationships.

Straight from the soul lyrics of Def Jam’s “Me, thinking of you, thinking of me, thinking of you type love” as interpreted by Alpha Kappa Alpha had the crowd out of their seats and hollering with laughter.

Guest readers such as Jamal Wilburg, a UT graduate, brought a serious note back into the readings.

He sang a bittersweet tale of repression and persecution, paying homage to the revolutionaries such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.

The domination of government and politics by both men and Caucasians was also addressed in a poem entitled Endure, which seemed to center around one powerful phrase: “Respect to the women who continue to fight”.

Alpha Kappa Alpha’s poetry jam ended with an off the cuff freestyle session and collections benefiting the Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation.