MOSAIC Flashmob

On Thursday, April 24th 2014, a group of concerned students took the stage at Wake Forest’s MOSAIC event, intended for prospective minority students. They collectively read a poem written by Nina Foster ’15 and stood together in solidarity.

 

“When word reached admissions that a poem would be performed that could possibly be contrary to the mission and purpose of Mosaic, Can I Poet was pulled from the list of performers for the Mosaic Talent Show, without having the text of the poem read first or suspicions confirmed. We reached out, and spoke to admissions the day of Mosaic in an effort to convince them that the poem would be appropriate and was much needed for the prospective students there. After an administrator reviewed the text of the poem at the meeting, we were refused the opportunity to perform again.

Refusing to be silenced, we organized, in a day, a flash mob that would storm the stage at an interval in the Mosaic program, unexpectedly, and perform the poem as a group in solidarity. In the middle of the program, a group of supportive students rushed the stage standing behind seven poem readers who split up the poem and read it in front of the prospective minority students, Deans and administrators who were present. After the performance, we returned to our seats in the audience and stayed to watch the rest of the talent show and support the cultural organizations that were performing there.

Our intentions in performing this poem were to let minority prospective students know that they have support here even if they don’t know that that means right now; many students transfer because they do not feel they have a support system. We wanted to be truthful, but also emphasize the community that exists here. We wanted to show the administration that this poem was worthy of being presented and that we could be trusted with such an opportunity to present appropriate and relevant poetry to prospective minority students.”

 

-Nina O.

Mosaic
By: Nina Oteria

Speaking truth to power
sets you free
But first it makes the powerful angry
And I don’t have truth tattooed on my right wrist for nothing
I won’t raise it in a fist right now
But I wear one
don’t worry admins, I didn’t come here to pull back the curtain on all the skeletons in Wake Forest’s closet
I came here to teach these students how to do that themselves
I came here to tell you all to think critically, carefully, analytically
Not to soak up the little bits of information you’re spoon fed from people who want to sell you something
Because salesmen talk slick
But they disappear real quick once they get their money and you get your student loans
Don’t forget education is a business
And diversity is a quota
But if you’re smart
And you know what you’re getting yourself into from the start
You can make a difference rock the boat, go out with a bang and leave the scene changed from the form that was presented to you when it was first arranged, prejudiced be danged, damned
I want to talk to you because I felt lied to when I attended this same program my senior year
distorting the truth is a part of sales, a part of marketing so I understand the need to stretch
But I pay to be here and not to recruit so I don’t have anything to lose and I won’t excuse
my frankness

Let me be real with you for a few moments
You’re here because you’re smart
You’re the top, you’ve got ideas, dreams, means and your ideals are bursting at the seams
I warn you, with more knowledge comes more sorrow
But ignorance isn’t bliss either
Pick your poison
When you get here you will feel lost
It will be hard
But understand that you’re being presented with an opportunity
for some pretty radical growth
radical righteous growth
if you make it through your first year and, I nearly didn’t, you will find the path opens up
you will find that there are opportunities and a certain immunity to say what you will because this institution exists for you and the saying ‘you get what you pay for’ isn’t true but I don’t know about you
#itooamwakeforest and that means they can’t ignore us
all parts make up the whole
you matter
but you’ll have to make sure that your voice is heard
that you get the opportunities you deserve
that you find friends and fit in
or don’t fit in, there’s something unsettling about trends
the culture of conformity is strong
you’ll have to be stronger to withstand it
as cheesy as it sounds
I believe in you and I hope you believe in yourself
I hope you know who you are and whose you are and I hope that you’re confident
You’ll have to be, maybe even a little bit cocky
To stand against the strong tide of traditional southern greek life
It’s predominant with a capital P, I’m guessing they haven’t told you that yet

power lies where the money is
I will say Wake puts it’s money where it’s mouth is with study abroad though
Best semester by far
That alone might make it worth it
Blow your mind open go to another continent explore it
They’ll make sure you afford it
Trust me

I will always give it to you straight, no chaser
if you come to wake
and if you, like me, are one of the black kids that has always been called white
when you get here and the crowd of black faces around you dissipates to a stream of white ones
maybe you will feel starkly black for the first time
this isn’t always a bad thing
but it stings
because it helps turn the wheels of change
growth is always painful but
you will see more clearly than those around you eyes clear unclouded 20/20
and you will have the opportunity to make change
the responsibility to charge forward
challenge of the status quo has no place to start
except with you and with me organically
a group joined in solidarity can speak to authority
I wouldn’t mind if you joined me
If you became a part of the royal “we”

But if you choose not to take part
In what will definitely be a roller coaster ride of four years I understand
But if you do
Buckle your seatbelts kids
If you’re here for the long haul
We got your back
Wave when you see a minority face
We’re here, just hidden and we want to get to know you
Wake changed me
It will change you
I challenge you to chase greater

I encourage you to keep your eyes open while you’re here
And ears listen to the conversations, the confessions, the things that are unsaid
The answers dodged when you ask questions
Evaluate
Things have been getting better for years
And #23 is top tier
But we aren’t here to sit back and have things handed to us
Privilege is prevalent and you can be a part of the pushback
Don’t let anybody sell you anything you haven’t fully explored for yourself
Wake is top shelf but is all that glitters really black and gold?
You tell me
Educate yourself before you educate yourself
We are Wake Forest
Loud words come in small packages
“Welcome to Wake”