Mississippi Library Tour

Posted on 29. Mar, 2009 by kahlilalmustafa in EDUCATION, ON TOUR

As part of the Mississippi Library’s Black History Celebration, I had the opportunity to tour several libraries, perform poetry and even get some young people to write poetry of their own. Librarians did not know what to expect from this “Hip-Hop Poet” who would be reading poems from his new collection of poems, Growing Up Hip-Hop. As several of them stated, “I didn’t know what to expect, but I actually enjoyed hearing your poems.”

The target audience for this tour was young people who frequent the libraries after school to browse the internet, complete their homework assignments and just hang out. While  most of the librarians are White women, the children who attend the libraries are mostly African-American. I was able to provide entertainment and education to both the librarians and the young people.

Each library had a specific relationship with their target community. My approach for each event was the same: I read poetry, introduced Growing Up Hip-Hop, read stories about becoming a poet and answered questions. The hope was the audience would be inspired to write poems of their own. The message: “writing and reading is something you do for yourself.” Here is a breakdown of my experiences at each event:

Day One: On Tuesday, I visited the Batesville Library. About twenty-five to thirty young people, mostly ages twelve to fifteen were already grouped up at the tables chatting or looking at books. At each table there was a small advertisement with my face on it. I walked from table to table making sure they were coming to the event. “That’s you. What happened to your hair?” “I cut it off. You’ll coming to the event, right?” At 4:00pm, they began filing into a presentation space right by the libraries entrance. “Come on ya’ll, sit up front.”

The first time I asked the group were they ready to write I received a collective moan, “We just came from school.” After hearing several poems when I asked them if they were ready to write, the audience responded with a collective “yes,” clamoring for the pencils and index cards to be handed out. Many of the students already knew what they wanted to write about. For the others, they were asked to write about what “change” meant to them.

After several minutes of writing, several of the students read their poems for the audience. The group of young people was exceptionally supportive of each other’s courage. This support was epitomized when a nine year old boy read a personal poem about his father leaving followed by a loud applause from the audience. I concluded the reading with some poetry of my own.

Day 2, I visited the Hernando Branch Library which is also the headquarters. When I arrived the young people were scattered throughout the library. The Youth Coordinator at this branch let us know the presentation would be happening right in the library in a small café area they have set up with a couple of tables and chairs next to vending machines. Melba and I laughed at the thought of me breaking out into spontaneous poetry in the middle of the library.

I had the opportunity to walk upstairs and see why we were going to have the event downstairs. Even though there was a splendid meeting space on the second floor, I could see how going up the elevator to a room next to all the offices could be intimidating for young people.

After gathering about ten to fifteen boys, ages twelve to sixteen, the Youth Coordinator introduced me, “Alright, we have Mr. Almustafa, who is going to teach you how to do hip-hop or perform Hip-Hop Poetry, well, I’m not sure what he is going to do, but he will tell you.”

The audience for this reading was quiet, possibly because we were still in a library or because all of the librarians were listening from just on the other side of the café. They were extremely engaged during the reading. Several people walking around the library took a moment to listen in. I asked them if they were going to write but knew this would probably be uncomfortable, so I let them know we would have a freestyle cipher outside afterward.

Again this event was well-received. I gave out a couple of CD’s at the end and sold a couple of books. I headed outside and a young man and I exchanged some verses. We all talked about hip-hop in Mississippi and New York. I encouraged them to use the library as a resource letting them know the Youth Coordinator wanted to be of assistance to them.

Day 3 had three events. First was the Oxford Branch, which does not have as regular a population of young people. Instead of presenting at their library they brought me to the Oxford Alternative School. Melba gave me the disclaimer that these students had already been kicked out of one high school or another so be prepared. As someone who attended an alternative school I knew it would at least be interesting.

We went to the Oxford Branch and caravanned to the school with the Branch Manager and the Youth Coordinator. We were met by a school representative and brought to a small classroom. As the students began filing in, I greeted them at the door.

This time, in addition to reading my poems and telling the stories about how I became a poet, I told personal stories about my experiences in high school. I let them know I went to an alternative school as well and did not graduate when I was supposed to. I also let them know that when I discovered poetry it helped give me a way to understand my world.

This school reading had a real feeling of community as teachers, other school officials, and even a janitor named Betty joined the audience. At first, this group was also reluctant to write but then they were enthusiastic about receiving the index cards and pencils. They were also given the theme of “change.” After several moments of reading, several students shared their poems to a response of tremendous applause. The reading really brought the community together.

At the conclusion of this presentation, I felt inspired to give my books as a gift to each student. I thought about the role this gesture could possibly have in their journey toward completing high school. As I made this announcement, a student stood up a presented me with a framed certificate of appreciation. This was a special moment, made even more so when the branch manager told Melba she would get her Friends of the Library group to cover the cost of the books.

The second event was at Melba’s branch, the Como Library. Melba worked with this group of students for several weeks leading up to the event even creating a group named the Como Hip-Hop Society. This event was closed with the hope that it would give the best opportunity to have a good session.

Unfortunately, several of the young people Melba was expecting did not show up. It was a nice day outside and we discovered later that many of them went to the park to play basketball. As it was, Melba had to work to get some of her students to come into the room.

This group was younger than expected, about eleven to fourteen years-old. In addition to reading poetry I played some games with the young men. This was a great opportunity to see their personalities come out. We also had a projector set up and I did a performance with moving images in the background.

All of the other activities we did left little room for the writing activity. We were able to get some of the students to write. I let them know I would keep in contact through Melba to see their progress. Melba brought books for the young people who had been consistent participants. I also gave away some CD’s.

After this event we rushed over to 211 Main Street, a large space set up for an evening performance for the Como residents. I was greeted by members of the Civic Organization which donated money for the space and members from the Friends of the Library. Two women sat in the front row directly in front of the microphone.

Melba walked back to her library and recruited a group of her regular library children to come to the event. A group of them stood outside looking in. A member of the library went outside to tell them to come in. When I went outside I found out one of them had a t-shirt so ripped up he felt it was inappropriate to come inside. I gave him one of my shirts to wear and told them to come inside and support me.

This audience was a diverse mix of Comodians: six year-old children from the library and Como’s own mayor. I tailored my selection of readings and the stories for this diverse audience. In addition to reading I shared some of the Mississippi slang I would be taking back home with me to New York, including “Gucci” which the young people say to mean ‘good’ and “Bless your heart” which could many “good luck,” “kiss your butt good-bye,” and everything in between.

The performance was well received and the women in the front gave passionate applause throughout. After about forty minutes of reading, we completed the presentation by raffling some books. The mayor cheered when her raffle ticket was chosen.

After the event, two women from the Friends of the Library group asked me what hip-hop was. They admitted that they had some preconceived ideas about hip-hop which were negative. I told them I completely understood how they could come have formed those ideas and told them a little bit about a vast world of hip-hop which included people like me. They thanked me for educating them. I thanked them for being open.

Day 4 was at the Sardis Branch Library. This day was very rainy. Melba and I were tired from the previous day and from being woken up during the middle of the night by thunderstorms. When we arrived, the librarians informed us that the group that was supposed to come might not make the trip because of the rain.

The rain let up so we were told to expect about thirty-four, third to eight graders from the local Boys and Girls Club. I sat in the front of the room wondering if I had enough energy to manage this large group, especially since they were so young. I heard voices filing into the room and was amazed to see very small children with bright eyes. The students were actually kindergarten to fifth grade.

My plan to deal with this group was to use the poetry of Langston Hughes to get the students to write their own poetry. I read some of my own poetry, a little slower, with more dramatic body language, over-emphasizing the rhyme and the rhythm, walking up and down the aisle.

I introduced Hughes through my own story of being inspired to write from reading his collection of poems. We read his poem “Mother to Son” and talked about the poem’s meaning by looking at the line “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” I gave them a couple more examples of some of my previous students’ poems and I had the young people write their own “Life is . . .” poems. They were enthusiastic about writing.

As the students wrote I walked around encouraging them and helping them spell. They were excited to show me their writing. When it was time to share several of them stood up and recited their poems. The audience laughed and applauded with them.

After the event I told the young people how impressed I was with their writing and handed out flyers with the cover of my book for them to take home with them. As I handed out the flyers several of them asked for my autograph. Before I knew it I had a large crowd surrounding me pushing the flyers toward me for me to sign. This was a perfect way to complete the tour.

CATEGORIES: On Tour, Education