With 2022鈥檚 Black History Month behind us, we can look back and see that Jacksonville University did its part in uplifting Black voices due in no small part to the Black History Month Concert and Art Gallery and their organizer, freshman Sommer Kinsler.
The art gallery ran for the second half of Black History Month at Swisher Theater, combining with the concert at Swisher Theater on Friday, Feb. 25 to form a showcase of the Black experience through the talents of over a dozen JU students.
Before the art gallery and concert could form that showcase, however, they started as anything else does: an idea.
鈥淭he idea for an art gallery to celebrate Black History Month was actually given to me by a fellow music student,鈥� said Kinsler, a freshman Fine Arts Senator for JU鈥檚 Student Government Association and Chairwoman of the SGA Sustainability Community. 鈥淭hey expressed interest in seeing an art gallery focused on African Diaspora and that idea grew to be an art gallery focused on student works that went along with a concert.鈥�
The art gallery featured photography, paintings, and digital art, while the concert featured performances in dance, the spoken word, and song.
Jamarian Williams, a JU freshman, lent his voice to the concert through a spoken word
performance titled 鈥淎n Apology from Oppression.鈥� With his performance, he wanted to
leave the audience with the realization that while anyone can be oppressed, we must
acknowledge that some are more oppressed than others.
鈥淸The concert] was a great opportunity to showcase talents and works of Black culture, and I felt I could put in on the cause,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 enjoyed all of the performances and seeing the hard work put into making each performance a true work of art.鈥�
James Demps, a JU senior and Infinitus member, showed his vocal and piano skills during performances of 鈥淥rdinary People鈥� by John Legend and 鈥淎 Change is Gonna Come鈥� by Sam Cooke.
鈥淚 wanted the audience to feel hopeful,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd that we can bring positive change to the world even though we as people have been through so much.鈥�
Keeping the event open to submissions from all students was important to Kinsler as she organized the events. The driving goal behind her work was to create a celebration of the Black experience that could be enjoyed whether or not someone lives it on a daily basis.
鈥淥f course, I wanted to highlight black artists,鈥� she said, 鈥淏ut I wanted to feature artists who weren鈥檛 Black, to help drive home the idea that anyone can and should appreciate the Black experience.鈥�
Kinsler鈥檚 vision was realized on the night of the concert, when Swisher Theater was packed with a larger-than-expected audience full of a wide array of students from all different backgrounds. Their claps and cheers rang out even louder than the instruments between performances, and turned the event from a showcase to a true celebration.
鈥淭his performance really showed everything that black history is about,鈥� said sophomore Owen Skelton after the show. 鈥淛ust being there, watching them perform, seeing what they鈥檙e all about: that鈥檚 what it鈥檚 all about.鈥�
Swisher Theater lobby felt charged with excitement after the concert as audience members echoed similar sentiments, and it was clear that Kinsler succeeded in creating an enjoyable event for students of all backgrounds.
Given the success of the events, Kinsler is already looking to the future for other opportunities to celebrate the Black experience, whether it be another concert or something entirely new.
If her future endeavors are anything like the Black History Month Concert and Art Gallery, they鈥檒l be must-attend events for anyone looking to experience a true representation of the Black experience.
