Noche de Poetas – Migrant Families
Text above states:
“Family is those who want to keep this country great. Build the wall. Deport illegals. Arrest rapists and murderers. White lives matter. We will not give in easily. Be prepared to fight because we are strong. 10 feet, 20 feet, 100 feet tall. Build the wall, build the wall. ICE, ICE Baby.”
Last Thursday night, we celebrated our first Noche de Poetas* program of the semester, “Migrant Families: Struggles & Hope” under this month’s theme “Family Unity” and many shared poems of resiliency and commitment to build a community of love on campus. There is a tradition in Noche to write a community poem at the end of the performance and then read it aloud. This closing ritual of solidarity and creativity was sabotaged by a UIC student with written words of hatred and prejudice – See his writing highlighted below and judge for yourself.
But in the spirit of love and determination to create a just world where we can all thrive and learn to live together, we rise and fly like Monarch butterflies as well as American eagles. This is what our campus and country should and must aspire to be.
In solidarity
The LCC, MeSA, SJP, and UPRS
*The UIC Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center (LCC) hosts Noche de Poetas (Poetry Night) every second Thursday of the month during the academic year. It is the longest running public program series in partnership with three student organizations: Mexican Students de Aztlán (MeSA), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and Union for Puerto Rican Students (UPRS). We work together to bring students and community members from diverse backgrounds to share and compare their life experiences through their own poetic words. The LCC is one of seven Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change at UIC.