The Bradley Speech Team will host a Black History Showcase tonight at 8 p.m. in Neumiller Hall. The event will cover black history and modern-day problems faced by the black community through speech performances, including poetry, duos, plus an after-dinner speech and more.
“The Black History Showcase critically analyzes issues of race through speeches and performance,” Ken Young, director of forensics, said. “The Bradley University Speech Team has been creating speeches and performances that accomplish this goal for decades, but about five years ago, some students came to me and said they wanted to do a show for campus and the surrounding community that displayed some of our work addressing these issues.”
This year’s event will differ from previous years in many ways, including the topics covered, location, performers and students planning it, and according to Young, it is due in part to sophomore public relations major and speech team member Trijae Johnson.
“I am responsible for selecting performances, emcees, time, location and venue,” Johnson said. “I personally wanted to take on the role so the team would have a person of color leading the event.”
Speech team member Richard Bowman said he hopes audiences will keep an open mind and listen to what they have to say in order to gain insight and understanding.
“I think the Black History Showcase is really important because [it] gives the campus an opportunity to not only see what the team does, but also really get new perspectives … We’re talking about topics that mean a lot to us within the black community here at Bradley,” Bowman said. “I think people can really take away how the history and [the present] are still tied together. The things that we thought were over are still happening.”
For Bowman, he said the team is able to have a lot of fun with showcases because they do not need to worry about time or being judged like they normally would in a competitive setting.
“I feel like [the showcase is] something that’s really important, especially for speech, so I’m excited to be a part of it,” Bowman said. “We’re heavily invested in advocacy and just really getting voices heard. That’s our biggest thing; that’s why we do our showcases. That’s why we compete. That’s why we wake up early in the morning and go places.”
Young said he hopes students will be moved emotionally while also being entertained.
“Anytime we can provide a forum to discuss issues of race, it is incredibly important,” Young said. “To have such an event at Bradley that strives for more diversity but is still a predominantly white institution also increases the importance of such an event. I have no doubt that the BHS will be a phenomenal show that people will be talking about for some time.”
For those interested in the event, admission is free for everyone.
