What does it mean to find your voice? For some, it calls for joyously living out loud. Others transform their voice into action, making sound to make change. There are also those who buck their comfort zone, amplifying inner worlds to comfort others. However we choose to find our voice, doing so can be frequently daunting, yet remarkably freeing.
In November, The College Reads! program explored this theme in a four-day celebration of diversity, community and the power of expression. Boundless Words & Voices took its cue from the Civil Rights activism recounted in The College Reads! 2015-16 selection, Freedom Summer: The Savage Season of 1964 That Made Mississippi Burn and Made America a Democracy, by Bruce Watson.
On a Sunday afternoon in Randolph Hall, spoken word artist Marcus Amaker gathered poets, musicians, choreographers, dancers, faculty, students and others. The room soon resounded with poetry readings, jazz protest work, candid monologues, Klezmer music, Latin theatre, Chinese dance and more. Community partners such as Wings for Kids, Thrive and Heart invited guests to join their efforts.
The stirring voices echoing through Randolph Hall demonstrated the many ways in which freedom can ring, sing, riff, rhyme, shine, step, repeat, rock and roll. With resonance and reverence, they also proved that every voice is crucial in creating meaningful community.
