Hosted by the Comprehensive Studies Program (CSP) and the Department of African American Studies (DAAS), Value the Voice is a storytelling speaker series. This month, the series concluded with its fourth installment of this academic year, being its eighth installment overall since its beginning. The theme of this installment was “The Shoulders of Giants.” Hosted in the UMMA Auditorium, the vibe for the night already felt intimate and welcoming. Before introducing the speakers, there were a few ground rules that the audience was encouraged to recite after the MC: Love, Support, Encouragement. I really appreciated this introduction for the speakers given that for some of them, this is their first time sharing their personal story and for most, this was their first time sharing their story on stage in front of an audience. Each speaker spoke for approximately 10 minutes each, with there being five speakers in total.

The first speaker, Kristin, was a freshman (!) whose “giant” was her mother. Kristin told such a beautiful story of her relationship with her mother, while also alluding to some frustrations, confusion, and anger along the way. What I liked most about Kristin’s story is that it was so thoughtful, mature, and accommodating. Kristin’s story was an exemplary reflection on living life with loved ones who are suffering from mental illness(es). Throughout her story, she was honest in the pain that she must have felt but ultimately, she was so considerate of her mother and her hardships. What I gathered from this story was that it takes a lot of patience and understanding in these situations but most importantly, it’s not always about you. The reality behind having loved ones suffering from mental illness is that no matter how bad you think it affects you and your relationship, often times, it’s hardest on the carrier.

The second speaker, Elizabeth, was a senior whose “giant” was her grandfather. Elizabeth began her story explaining what it’s like to be from a family of immigrants and a 2nd generation American. Elizabeth’s story was especially insightful and gives me the impression that she has a keen attention to details. She told a story about a simple routine of making coffee for her grandfather every day after school and transformed it into a life lesson that she continues to carry with her. The moral of her story was about not losing your focus. As a fellow college student, this really resonated with me. This environment can easily become overwhelming and not just with academics but with your social and personal life as you’re constantly being pulled in so many different directions.

The next speaker, Vivian, is a graduating senior. She spoke about the importance of finding your own niche here on campus. Eventually, she shared that two of her family members had passed within one year of each other. I really enjoyed Vivian’s story because her energy was so genuine and calm. I shared the sentiment of praising God under all circumstances in your life. Vivian concluded her story by ensuring the audience with “Keep going y’all. It gets better eventually.”

Following Vivian was Phancie, who is also a senior. Phancie’s story was a tearjerker, to say the least. She began by introducing four different individuals in her life who she considered to be her “giants.” For each person, she assigned the following words to describe them, respectively: Personality, Generosity, Determination, and Love. My takeaway from her story was that “Love is a choice.”

The last speaker was Ms. James, who is a Program Associate for DAAS. Her story was about a faculty member who looked over her during her time at the University and presumably was her mentor. She shared with us three key points of advice: 1) Treat others the way you want to be treated, 2) Life is easier when you use humor, and 3) Live your life with integrity. However, one of the more impressionable statements was from her mentor who told her “You did not come to this University to win an Olympic Gold Medal. So why are you running around?” That really stuck with me because many times, I have to remind myself to slow down, take my time, and trust that everything will get done someway/somehow without having to exhaust myself at the benefit of others.

Value the Voice is an intimate safe space for students to share their stories and be heard. As an audience member and a fellow CSP Scholar, I felt at home in their welcoming presence. I was able to feel my emotions as I listened and reflected on the stories being told.

Tomorrow night I will be going to see my first modern ballet performance, and I’m pretty excited. I’ve always loved dance, particularly ballet and the way it combines strength and grace into a single verb. However, I haven’t had much exposure to ballet. Every year we have a lovely production of The Nutcracker in my hometown, but I’ve never seen it. Seeing Ballet Preljocaj perform La Fresque is part of me deciding to expose myself to the beauty of ballet. Ballet Preljocaj was founded by Angelin Preljocaj, a French dancer and artist. The company operates out of France and performs pieces choreographed by Preljocaj who draws influence from his training in classical ballet and modern dance. For the performances Tuesday and Wednesday evening, Ballet Preljocaj will be dancing La Fresque, a dance inspired by a Chinese tale about a painting coming to life and the fantastical dimension that lies beyond. I can’t wait to see what dimension these dancers will lead me into.

Image courtesy of UMS.

I know that Jordan Peele is a cinematic genius and after Us premiered with double the box office earnings of Get Out, apparently everyone else does too. Us was so good. This is a movie you have to see in the theater. I went at a late showing on Sunday night thinking it would be pretty dead; Sundays are for homework. Boy, was I wrong. The theater was sold-out, and that made for a better viewing experience. As my boyfriend and I shouted at the jump-scares, cringed at the gore, and laughed at Peele’s classic one-liners we were surrounded by dozens of others doing the exact same thing. Us managed to do something I had never even considered a possibility by creating a balance between horror and humor; this is why it’s so difficult to pin down Peele’s genre. I am a major scaredy-cat, so I was a bit nervous going into this movie after having seen scissors, masked-figures, and creepy smiles in the trailers. I was definitely frightened during the movie, but I was never fully consumed by terror due to the impeccable style of the film. Right when you thought it was going to get worse, someone would crack a joke, or kill one of the tethered in a pretty funny way. Another aspect of the movie that really pushed it from being a good movie to a great film was the level of detail. Early in the film we see the daughter wearing a shirt with a rabbit on it before learning that rabbits were the food of the tethered. Speaking of rabbits, let’s talk about that first scene. The camera slowly panning out on a wall of caged rabbits with that wonderfully creepy music building in the background truly set the tone for the film. It also reminded a lot of Get Out and the early scene flying over the trees with equally creepy music in the background. Music was one of my favorite parts of this movie and you could tell that the composer for Us was also the composer for Get Out. I hope Peele knows what he’s got and continues to work with Michael Abel for the rest of his film career. Beyond the score, the soundtrack was also pretty great making me particularly excited to hear Noname coming out of the daughter’s headphones. As a film that was all about character development, it would be a sin not to mention what Peele achieved in his writing. The main characters were complex and emotional. The main family was also wonderfully juxtaposed with a laughably one-dimensional, caricature of the white family. To top things off, Peele ends the film with a twist that would make M. Knight Shyamalan proud, making us all question if we had been rooting for the wrong person the whole time.

Image courtesy of the State Theater.