• The Black Student Council sponsored their first event of the semester, a poetry night honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
• More than 50 students and community members attended the event.
• Famous author and spoken word artist Dasha Kelly facilitated the evening and presented several of her own pieces
• The event was inspired by the newly formed SLEEP movement

Marquette's Black Student Council celebrated a snowy Martin Luther King Jr. day with their first event of the semester: Soulistic Groove—Making the "Dream" a Reality.

The event was co-sponsored by the Office of Student Development, which has sponsored several Soulistic Groove poetry nights in the past through its Department of Intercultural Programs.

More than 50 members of the Marquette community gathered at the Union Sports Annex Monday for a night of spoken word expression. The event was facilitated by Dasha Kelly, a local poet and the author of the novel All Fall Down. Kelly has also been named one of the Top Ten Up-and-Coming Writers of the Midwest by Written Word Magazine, and has performed her spoken word regularly throughout the nation.

In addition to presenting several pieces of her own work, Kelly also brought along several local students who presented their pieces at the National Youth Poetry Slam last year. An open microphone was also available for individuals who wished to present original work.

The poetry presented at the event not only honored Martin Luther King Jr. directly, but also addressed topics as varied as sacrifice, fear, success and body image. Whether the piece was a bold statement regarding the quality of life in Milwaukee or an abstract imagery of womanhood, loud and gracious applause from the large crowd waited for every performer.

Rochelle Shipley, a junior in the College of Communication and BSC's Event Planning Committee co-chair, said she wanted to do a traditional poetry evening with a "BSC flair."

Shipley said the fact that Marquette didn't have an event planned to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day encouraged the BSC to sponsor an evening in his memory.

"We wanted to invite the whole Marquette community to honor this day," she said. "Our goal was to really get the word out."

Adriana Garcia, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said the uniqueness of spoken word expression keeps her coming to events such as this.

"I find it very interesting," she said. "Even if you don't speak, it really gets you thinking about your own ideas as well."

According to Catherine Heidke, graduate assistant for intercultural programs, the newly organized SLEEP Movement inspired the vision for the event.

The SLEEP Movement encompasses Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s ideals of liberty, equality, empowerment and peace, Heidke said.

Janice Blades, a junior in the College of Health Sciences and a member of Schipley's planning committee, said the purpose of the movement is a call for "realization and change."

"We're hoping this event will be the beginning of the SLEEP Movement within the Marquette and Milwaukee Community," Blades said, adding that it is the council's opinion that the values represented by the movement have not yet been universally achieved.

"This event is like an enlightenment," Kelly said. "We want Marquette and the community to realize that there are changes that need to be made in the world."