Collective
fuses music, spoken word to inspire
By
Porschia Baker
On-line Forty-Niner
As
an old familiar saying goes, one
person can make a difference. Although
this is true, a group of 20 or more passionately
articulate and expressive people can create
an even greater impact through the use
of spoken word and music.
The
second annual END-Dependence Spoken Word
Tour is making a stop at Cal State Long
Beach Saturday. Participants of the tour
include international performers, writers,
artists, musicians, grassroots organizers
and community leaders who will share their
struggles. More importantly their main
goal is to educate and inspire people
through the use of spoken word.
"This
is not your regular kind of poetry, it's
youth poetry, hip hop, rap, and it's spoken
word," Chairman Victor Rodriguez,
of the Chicano and Latino studies department
said. Rodriguez is also one of the sponsors
of the tour.
"It's
poetry that comes from students that are
activist. It's artistic, but it's political,"
he said.
He
said he first heard about the END-Dependence
Spoken Word Tour from one of his former
students, Cesar A. Cruz, when he was a
professor at the UC Irvine.
Cruz,
who teaches for the Peaceful Schools Project
in the Bay Area, is a human rights freedom
fighter from Jalisco, Mexico.
When
Cruz speaks, it seems like a tidal wave
of emotions engulfs the ears. Although
Cruz is one of the original poets and
co-founders, this year he is the statewide
coordinator for the tour.
"[This
event] is the first of it's kind to be
led by Mexican and Central Americans,"
Cruz said.
Participants
of the tour fund themselves.
"We
are not charging and we are not receiving.
For us, it's a labor of love."
Maya
Chinchilla, who is a CSULB alumna, is
another poet participating on the tour.
Chinchilla is a writer, journalist and
a member of the Epicentro Poets, which
is a Central-American writers group. She
also helped coordinate the tour.
"I
am a second generation Guatemalan and
[I] feel that I am one of those voices
that is rarely heard from."
At
UC Santa Cruz, where she did undergraduate
studies, she developed her own poetry.
"I
saw the impact that art could have on
a group of people. I write because I have
to. I love the feeling that I am connecting
with the audience and challenging them,
and empowering them to use their own voices
and fight for social justice," she
said.
Gabriela
Lopez, another coordinator of the tour
is known to many as Sasparella.
Lopez
is a Mexican artist, actor and writer
who was raised in an artistic and musical
family.
"I
was raised in the arts and to respect
the arts. [My] parents pushed us to put
self-expression first and that made us
happy," she said.
Lopez
has performed at open mic nights in Los
Angeles, and wherever else she could.
The collective has performed in many places,
such as community centers, colleges and
for the youth.
In
countless ways the END-Dependence collective
is speaking for those who are voiceless.
Early this year they performed for some
Spanish farm workers in Watsonville.
"[The
farm workers were] a reserved audience,"
Cruz said. "Immigrants are afraid
to speak out and demand justice,"
Cruz said.
On
the first tour the collective stopped
over in four states on the East Coast,
including Mass., and New York. In just
one year it grew to 21 cities.
"Our
dream is to tour the Caribbean,"
Cruz said.
"I
think the issue about this event is that
it's away of affirming who they are as
young people," Rodriguez said.
EVENTS
LISTING
What:
END-Dependence Spoken Word Tour
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Karl Anatol Center in East Library,
1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach
www.brownpride.com
